Alcohol ban in the stands still a long way off

With the 'cigarette lighter/battery' incident still fresh in our minds, the discussion 'prohibiting alcohol in the stadium yes or no' is rearing its head again. In England, alcohol has been banned in stadiums for years. The Netherlands does not seem ready for this yet.

Ajax midfielder Davy Klaassen was hit last month by what appears to be a battery (there was talk of a lighter earlier), which caused a head injury. As a result of this, another (foot) ball was thrown up or we shouldn't even stop drinking alcohol in the stands. Because alcohol encourages riots and as a result, players on the field can no longer play football safely and other spectators can no longer enjoy the match. Despite the rioting in the stands, which is now also moving to the sports field, there is great resistance in the Netherlands to a beer ban.

It's part of it and it deserves good

And there are two reasons for this: money and culture. Alcohol is part of our culture. Whether we are happy and elated or gloomy and sad, the glasses are filled with alcohol. So you don't just take people's beer away. In addition, money is an important reason to maintain this cultural asset. Because the stadiums earn a lot from the sale of alcohol. Clubs with their own stadiums in particular benefit, such as FC Twente, which generated more than 5.4 million euros in turnover from 'catering' in the '21/'22 season.

Zero-tolerance

Then take the English. They were completely fed up with the riots and hassle in the 1980s and came up with a sharp package of measures: stricter punishments, tighter camera surveillance, only seats and no alcohol in the stands. In the Netherlands, too, there has often been talk of curbing (prohibiting) alcohol consumption in the stands. Until 2018, the 'standard conditions' drawn up by the KNVB to promote an 'orderly course' of football matches and to curb 'unsafe behaviour' stated that alcohol could only be consumed in canteens. This has come a long way, because at the moment the same conditions only say that the public is not allowed to be drunk or under the influence of drugs in the stadium.

The time does not seem to be ripe for an alcohol ban. A beer 'is just part of it'. Helmets for the football players then?

Source: Volkskrant.nl.