Dutch side leagues, Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie have taken their stand to end the inhuman treatment in the world of sport as they prepare to take the streets this weekend on protest against racism.
Clubs playing in the first and second tier of Dutch professional football will stand still and not play the first minute of their forthcoming matches.
Simultaneously, text reading: “Racism? Then we don’t play,” appears on the screens of the stadium before the games go as usual. At the end of the first half, a minute of extra time will be played.
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The demonstration was motivated by events during the 3-3 Eerste Divisie draw between Den Bosch and Excelsior last weekend, when racist chanting was perpetrated by Excelsior player Ahmad Mendes Moreira.
Moreira, supported by team-mates, left the pitch 30 minutes in after receiving the abuse, with the referee then calling a temporary halt to the match.
The 24-year-old forward scored after the game resumed and celebrated by cupping his hands to his ears in front of Den Bosch fans, leading the club’s coach Erik Van Der Ven to brand Moreira a “pathetic little man” for trying to goad his side’s supporters.
Den Bosch released a statement to say sorry to Moreira, who met Van der Ven on Monday and accepted an apology. The Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) promised to investigate to identify the perpetrators.
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“We want to make clear that enough really is enough by making a statement on the field”, a statement from the Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie read.
“We appreciate that all 90 minutes are important for the matches, so we asked the KNVB to add at least one minute of additional time to compensate for the first minute.”
Liverpool and Netherlands midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum spoke out in support of Moreira and called for severe sanctions against those responsible when he addressed the media before Tuesday’s 5-0 Euro 2020 qualifying win over Estonia.
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Wijnaldum scored a hat-trick in the game and celebrated his first goal with an anti-racism statement – holding his arm next to that of team-mate Frenkie de Jong to highlight their different skin colours.
The Liverpool player also tweeted a photo of the whole Netherlands squad doing likewise when standing together in a circle on the training field.
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Wijnaldum’s tweet was captioned: “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH #STOPRACISM.”
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