November 2019
At the time of the match in Den Bosch, the Dutch national team is preparing for the last international match of the year, at home against Estonia. The chants addressed to Mendes Moreira have impressed the internationals.
A photo appears on social media in which they pose in a circle, with the text: ‘Enough Is Enough’. It is a statement against racism and discrimination in football.
Georginio Wijnaldum takes the floor during the press conference. “I did not expect this to happen in the Netherlands. It is a social problem. I think that action should be taken hard against such practices”
February 2020
The cabinet and the KNVB present a three-year ‘plan of attack’ against racism and discrimination in football, for which 14 million euros will be allocated.
The plan is aimed at ‘prevention, enforcement and detection’ and consists of twenty measures, such as more cameras in the stadiums, a special prosecutor for racism cases and a training program for clubs.
March 2020
The KNVB appoints Houssin Bezzai as program manager for racism and discrimination. The former player from Sparta and TOP Oss, among others, will be in charge of the implementation of the attack plan at the football association.
June 2020
Tuesday, June 2, will be renamed ‘Blackout Tuesday’ on social media. Users of Instagram and Twitter post a black square in protest of police brutality and discrimination in the United States. The KNVB is also participating in the campaign.
A few weeks later, the players of the Dutch national team again come up with a joint statement. In response to statements by permanent analyst Johan Derksen, they are no longer interviewed by the TV program Veronica Inside.
July 2020
The KNVB establishes the Mijnals committee, which includes Ruud Gullit, Daphne Koster and Humberto Tan. The committee is committed to fighting racism in football.
September 2020
In an open letter, more than sixty football clubs and organizations speak out against racism. The KNVB is launching a website on which updates about the attack plan are shared.
The Mijnals committee criticizes the procedure surrounding the appointment of national coach Frank de Boer. Not enough attention would have been paid to the theme of diversity.
November 2020
The KNVB says that since the incident at Den Bosch-Excelsior it has received more reports of racism on the football fields than in the preceding period. A report is received by the union on average 3.5 times a week.
