Derby game called off just an hour before kick-off as fans block team bus

A Dutch second division match had to be called off due to the away team stopping their own bus from reaching the ground. Rivals Vitesse Arnhem and De Graafschap were due to face-off on Sunday, but the match was abandoned for a bizarre reason. A large number of De Graafschap fans turned up at the club’s stadium and chained the gates shut. This prevented the players from leaving in the team bus until it was decided that the match would be called off and pushed back to another date. Vitesse provided official updates throughout before they confirmed it was off and technical director Willem van der Linden released a statement. He said: “In the lead-up to the match, Vitesse did everything possible, in close cooperation with all parties involved, to still get the match started. Unfortunately, this proved to be unfeasible. “We deeply regret the situation. Thousands of supporters, partners, Business Club members, and volunteers were already present in the GelreDome. We want to thank everyone for their attendance, patience, and unconditional support.” It is such an unusual situation that the Mayor of Arnhem Ahmed Marcouch also released a statement. He said: “Football belongs to everyone. But hospitality is not a licence to disregard safety agreements. Over the past few weeks, we have given De Graafschap every opportunity, ample time and every means to ensure this match could take place safely with away fans present. “Another attempt was made on Saturday to reach workable agreements. But if supporters say in advance that they do not want to abide by the conditions and their own club cannot guarantee that the agreements will be observed, then that is the end of it.” Why did the fans block the team bus? The Kleine Gelderse Derby is a heated affair. Last year, the away fans saw their allocation cut down to just 500. This didn’t go down well with the supporters, who also had to have banners pre-approved. Their pushback led to the relevant authorities deciding to ban them from attending altogether. And the fans decided that rather than not being allowed to attend, they’d just stop the game happening instead. This hasn’t gone down well with the Dutch FA, who have released a statement. It read: “It is unacceptable that the Vitesse – De Graafschap match cannot go ahead in this way. “Supporters making football impossible is completely unacceptable. In doing so, they are harming their club, their team, the sport and the thousands of supporters who do come to support football. “The match will definitely not be played today. In accordance with the regulations, the matter will now be referred to the disciplinary bodies. “The league board will discuss the exceptional situation further tomorrow. “More information about the new match date and the consequences will be announced after that.”