PSV hopes that the cabinet will still respond to the call from all professional football clubs to fill stadiums for at least two thirds. General director Toon Gerbrands announced this after the press conference of Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister Ernst Kuipers of Health, Welfare and Sport about more flexible corona rules.
Clubs from the Eredivisie and Keuken Kampioen Division are allowed to fill their stadiums for a third with supporters. The professional clubs had counted on being allowed to use at least two-thirds of the stadium’s capacity again. They have planned an emergency meeting on Wednesday, at which representatives of the Eredivisie CV (ECV) and Coöperatie Eerste Divisie (CED) will also join.
“PSV hopes that the cabinet will still respond to the call made by professional football on Monday evening”, Gerbrands refers to a joint statement to fill the stadiums with fans for at least two thirds. “There is a mixed feeling at PSV about the relaxation that the cabinet announced on Tuesday evening,” says the PSV director. “On the one hand, we are happy that we will soon be able to welcome some of our supporters again. On the other hand, this is a solution without perspective.”
“Due to the decision of the cabinet, we are forced to disappoint supporters, without being able to properly explain the reason,” says Gerbrands. “In addition, it costs us tons of income per game. Professional football has shown at an earlier stage of the crisis to take a constructive position. We are part of the solution, not the problem. A minimum occupancy rate of two thirds of the stadium we can organize safely and responsibly.”
General director Robert Eenhoorn of AZ is also deeply disappointed in the decision to use the capacity of the stadiums for a third. “We have demonstrated that we can safely and responsibly handle a higher occupancy rate,” he says. “Then it is very disappointing that the cabinet does not heed the call from clubs and professional football to start with at least two thirds of the capacity.”