Nijmegen, Netherlands – In a strikingly vivid display of fan rivalry, supporters of Vitesse Arnhem flew a small advertising plane over Nijmegen on Sunday, trailing a banner with teasing text aimed at NEC following the club’s dramatic KNVB Cup final defeat. The gesture came hours after NEC secured a 2-1 victory over Vitesse in the final at De Kuip in Rotterdam, denying the Arnhem side a major trophy and sparking immediate reactions from both sets of fans.
The banner, flown in clear weather over Nijmegen’s city center shortly after 6:00 p.m. Local time (16:00 UTC), read: “NEC? Meer zoals NEE-C!” – a Dutch pun playing on the club’s initials and the word “nee,” meaning “no.” The phrase loosely translates to “NEC? More like NO-C!” in English, a jab at the team’s success in the final.
Flight tracking data and eyewitness reports confirmed the aircraft, a single-engine Cessna 172, departed from a small airfield near Arnhem and completed two loops over Nijmegen’s historic Grote Markt before returning to base. The flight lasted approximately 18 minutes, according to local aviation monitors who spoke with regional media.
The stunt quickly circulated on social media, with videos of the plane flying over the Waalkade and the Valkhof district gaining thousands of views on X and Instagram within hours. While some Vitesse fans celebrated the gesture as a moment of defiant humor, others criticized it as petty, especially given the emotional weight of the loss.
“It’s not about the result – it’s about showing we’re still here,” said one Vitesse supporter, speaking anonymously to a local broadcaster near the stadium after the match. “We lost the final, but we own the banter.” NEC fans, meanwhile, largely dismissed the flyby as a sideshow, focusing instead on their team’s historic achievement.
The KNVB Cup final, held at Feyenoord’s De Kuip stadium, was a tightly contested match that saw NEC capture the lead through a 22nd-minute goal by Elayis Tavşan. Vitesse equalized just before halftime via a penalty kick converted by Loïs Openda, but NEC restored their advantage in the 78th minute through a well-worked team play finished by Bas Dost, the veteran striker making his first appearance in a major final.
Vitesse pushed hard for an equalizer in the closing stages, but NEC goalkeeper Jasper van der Slot made several key saves, including a late one-on-one stop to deny Openda. The win marked NEC’s first major trophy since 2000 and only the second KNVB Cup in the club’s history, cementing a memorable season under head coach Rogier Meijer.
For Vitesse, the loss extended a frustrating run in cup finals. The club has now lost four of its last five KNVB Cup final appearances, dating back to 2017. Despite consistent Eredivisie finishes in the upper half of the table in recent years, the Arnhem side has struggled to convert near-misses into silverware.
The incident also highlights the intense local rivalry between the two Gelderland-based clubs, separated by just 20 kilometers but divided by contrasting identities. NEC, based in Nijmegen, often positions itself as the working-class club of the region, while Vitesse, though also rooted in Arnhem’s industrial heritage, has historically drawn broader support across the province.
Neither club issued an official statement regarding the flyby. The KNVB confirmed it had received no formal complaints about the aircraft’s flight path, which remained well above restricted airspace and did not interfere with commercial or military aviation routes. Dutch aviation authorities permit such banner flights under strict conditions, including prior notification and adherence to minimum altitude requirements.
As of Monday morning, no sanctions had been announced against the individuals or group responsible for organizing the flight. Similar fan-organized aerial messages have occurred in Dutch football before, most notably during Ajax-Feyenoord derbies, though they remain relatively rare in Gelderland.
Looking ahead, Vitesse will turn its focus to the Eredivisie relegation battle, currently sitting just above the drop zone with three matches remaining. NEC, buoyed by the cup win, aims to finish strongly in the league and qualify for European competition next season.
The image of a small plane circling over Nijmegen’s historic skyline, banner fluttering in the breeze, may fade from the headlines quickly. But for fans of both clubs, it serves as a reminder that in football, the battles extend far beyond the final whistle – sometimes, quite literally, into the sky above.
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