The Rotterdam-based football club explained on Wednesday that Koevermans no longer feels capable of carrying out his duties and making decisions after a series of incidents he has suffered. By September, Koevermans’ windows were smashed and his front door tagged overnight, presumably by members of the club’s hard core. “Feyenoord has been in my heart since I was a child,” reacted Koevermans, who arrived at Feyenoord in 2009 as commercial director. “When I was appointed, I said without exaggerating that working for Feyenoord was for me the fulfillment of a childhood dream. That is why today is not a pleasant day for me. hurts that I had to make that decision. ”
Koevermans was also reportedly annoyed at his home by Feyenoord supporters unhappy with the plan to build a new stadium. The architect of Feyenoord City, the area to which the new stadium is a part, has also suffered intimidation from supporters.
Feyenoord had called the September incidents “too outrageous to comment” and wanted “to waste as few words as possible”.
Koevermans officially took over from Jan de Jong as managing director two years ago, having served on an interim basis. He takes leave of his club with a pang of heart. “But I think it’s the best, despite knowing that I will miss the club, the colleagues and many people in the club environment.”
This departure under these conditions made the Dutch Football Federation (KNVB) react. Marianne van Leeuwen, director of professional football at KNVB, says it is “regrettable” that Koevermans is leaving his post after a series of threats. She contacted the Ministry of Security and Justice and is delighted that the government “joins forces with the federation to take swift and firm action”.
“This has to stop,” Van Leeuwen said. “It turns out that professional football is an environment in which small, but persistent, sections of the public behave badly, especially towards other supporters, managers and players in stadiums, on the internet, around matches and even in places far from stadiums and on days when football is not played. “
