Feyenoord vs Manchester United: Fans attending Europa League clash told to 'maintain a low profile' in Holland

The group stage game in Rotterdam will be played in front of a reduced crowd of under 30,000

Samuel Stevens
Tuesday 13 September 2016 11:22 BST
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Manchester United fans have been given a warning ahead of the trip to Rotterdam
Manchester United fans have been given a warning ahead of the trip to Rotterdam

Manchester United have written to supporters advising those travelling to the Europa League match against Feyenoord on Thursday to dress “conservatively” after crowd trouble overshadowed the Dutch side’s match with Roma last season.

The group stage game in Rotterdam will be played in front of a reduced crowd of under 30,000 at the De Kuip stadium in an effort by the Feyenoord hierarchy to avoid further sanctions from Uefa after being punished severely for fans’ behaviour in February.

As a result, the away ticket allocation has been significantly reduced, to 1,400, to match the slight home crowd and those who plan on attending have been told to “maintain a low profile and avoid areas of potential conflict”.

Feyenoord were dealt with a two-year suspended sentence, which included a £42,000 fine and an enforced match behind closed doors, after supporters clashed with their Roman counterparts during the round-of-32 clash last season.

The disruption was such that the referee, Clement Turpin, was forced to twice temporarily suspend proceedings as missiles were thrown onto the field of play by unruly spectators in the home areas.

Feyenoord were also handed a separate three-year suspended sentence for another flare-up after an inflatable banana was reportedly thrown at former Arsenal winger Gervinho.

A Manchester United Supporters’ Trust statement, published by the Daily Mail, said last week: “Our travelling support are really disappointed about the reduced allocation for United supporters.

“We are glad United took this issue seriously and lobbied on our behalf, and M.U.S.T has also written to Dutch authorities seeking more answers, but sadly the short time frame between the draw and the match means we cannot change the outcome this time.


“We have also made the point that reducing the away allocation for such an easily accessible game may prove counter-productive and potentially increase security risk if ticketless MUFC fans are in the vicinity of the stadium attempting to get tickets.”

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