(Rotterdam, the Netherlands)
A must-do item for this trip was seeing a professional soccer game in the Netherlands. I always follow the Dutch national team in the Euro and World Cup competitions, but I also check on the progress of Feyenoord Rotterdam in the top Dutch professional league. Together with Ajax Amsterdam and PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord is usually one of the top three teams in the Netherlands. They have been frequent champions in the Dutch league and have also performed in European club competitions.
Soccer allegiances tend to be hereditary. My father bought me the occasional Feyenoord jersey when I was a child, so it was only natural that it would become my favourite Dutch team too. I found out later that my father had actually played against Feyenoord once when he was still living in the Netherlands. At that time, he played on the ‘s-Gravenzande town team and after a couple of early victories in the annual nationwide Cup competition, they happened to draw Feyenoord as their opponent in the next match. Even then, Feyenoord was an extremely strong team and my father’s team lost the game. But this certainly helped establish his respect for the Feyenoord club.
Even more recently, I found out that my cousin Jan (as well as his entire family) is an extremely devoted Feyenoord fan: he has season tickets and is also active in the fan club. When I mentioned that I was interested in seeing a Feyenoord game, he found us tickets for the August 15 game against Heerenveen and arranged to meet us for dinner before the game at a “Feyenoord restaurant” right beside Stadion Feyenoord.
How did it compare with my experience in Reims? While some teams in the French league may have more money, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the level of intense fan devotion that I saw with Feyenoord. Before the game, anticipation in both the restaurant and the stadium gradually reached a fever pitch. I was almost ready to play the game myself!
Alas, it was clear that Feyenoord was not quite at the top of its game. Feyenoord had five players on the Dutch national team that reached the World Cup semi-finals, but three of those players have since been sold to other teams (as their value was at an all-time high). Last year’s top scorer had also transferred to a new team. Some new players have been acquired in the meantime, but there was a lot of miscommunication throughout the first half and well into the second half.
Eventually, Heerenvenn took a 1-0 lead on a deflected shot. This finally seemed to wake up Feyenoord and they began dominating possession and generating scoring chances. Feyenoord tied the game shortly afterwards and (as with Paris St.-Germain) it seemed like only a matter of time before Feyenoord would score the winning goal. Alas, that goal never happened and in fact Heerenveen almost won the game on a blast that the Feyenoord goalkeeper managed to deflect off the goalpost and out of harm’s way. In the end, a 1-1 draw was probably a reasonable outcome.
Unlike the Reims fans, who seemed happy just to be in the top division and to be hosting world-class players, the Feyenoord fans are extremely demanding. They know the game very well and have high expectations for their beloved team. The exhilaration after Feyenoord’s goal was matched only by the shocked disbelief after Heerenveen took a 1-0 lead. However, as my cousin pointed out, Feyenoord fans will support their team through the lean times as well…something that is missing from some of the other top clubs.
The merchandise, the songs, the intensity, the critical view of the referee’s performance…all of it was at a much higher level than in Reims, even if the actual on-field performance was rather inconsistent. Many spectators stood throughout the game, despite the fact that they had seats. Should Feyenoord overcome its miscommunication challenges and defeat the hated Ajax for the Dutch title, Rotterdam will celebrate as if Feyenoord had won the World Cup.