KNVB to use state of the art cameras to track down hooligans

Dutch football association KNVB is going to speed up the identification of troublemakers on the stands of 34 professional clubs by installing cameras and state of the art tracking systems.

The plan, which has the support of the police, the public prosecution office, local councils, the government and fans, is part of a new approach to clamp down on hooliganism, the KNVB has said.

In an interview with the Telegraaf, KNVB technical director Marianne van Leeuwen, said the riots at the game between FC Twente and Hammarby at the start of the new season were a new low.

“That really hurts the image of Dutch football but it shows once more we need to make an effort do to something about it. This was a European game but the Dutch national season is about to start on Friday with the match between Feyenoord and PSV. We want everyone in the stadium to feel welcome and safe,” she told the paper.

She also said matches where people disrupt the game by throwing objects, chanting, or lighting fireworks will be paused instead of cancelled altogether if the perpetrators are caught quickly.

Mathijs Keuning, chair of fan club Supporterscollectief Nederland said he approved of the new rule, saying the fans who behave properly should not suffer for the actions of a small majority of troublemakers.

“It is time we concentrated on the large majority of fans who don’t misbehave. We no longer want measures that criminalise all fans, such as collective punishments, which are ineffective and unnecessary,” he said.

The KNVB warned “fake fans” and those “in black hoodies’ that its tracking system would be able to quickly identify them. Some stadiums already film visitors when they enter the ground, on the stands and as they leave.

An obligation for people who have been banned from attending matches to report to police during the game via an app is also in the pipeline and is being supported by the justice ministry.

The KNVB is also going do more to make potential troublemakers more aware of the penalties it can issue. A stadium ban, for instance comes with a €450 fine. People who ignore the ban will be fined €900.