"NO WORDS, BUT DEEDS!" - INTRODUCTION TO AN ETERNAL
RIVALRY
How can you explain a rivalry that's larger than football
itself...? Books, magazine specials and essays have
been written about the emotions of what is known
as De Klassieker ('The Classic'):
the annual confrontations between Holland's most
renowned and by far most popular football clubs from Amsterdam
and Rotterdam, the country's two largest cities.
Numerous authors have tried to explain how Feyenoord
and Ajax fans feel about each other, but there's always
more to it. Ajax vs Feyenoord is like Real Madrid vs FC
Barcelona, like AC Milan vs Inter or Celtic vs Rangers. A
supreme European grudge game. All you can do is try to
explain, in the form of a brief introduction.
A short study of the clubs and their respective home towns
will show you that Ajax vs Feyenoord is not only a football
game, but also a clash between two cities with extreme
differences in attitudes and culture. Feyenoord are
historically the club of the dockworkers of Rotterdam-South,
with a deeply rooted sense of brotherhood and an attitude in
which work-ethic and willpower are the keywords. The soul
of Rotterdam is reflected by the Feyenoord Legioen
('Legion'), as the fans proudly call themselves. Tough,
no-nonsense footballers with fighting spirit have the
best chance of becoming popular with the Feyenoord fans:
Rotterdam street kid Coen Moulijn, stooped midfielder Wim van
Hanegem and - more recently - John de Wolf, Ulrich van Gobbel,
Joszef Kiprich, Paul Bosvelt and Dirk Kuyt. Anti-heroes, in a
way. Blokes that put their money where their mouth is.
Feyenoord after winning the
European Champions Cup in
1970, by beating Celtic FC in the final in San Siro,
Milan.
The Rotterdammers were the first Dutch club to achieve
this.
No wonder that Feyenoord fans generally have little
sympathy for Ajax: a sophisticated middle class club
with a long tradition of dandy's. Mouthy, self-assured
player, with the natural swagger of the
capital itself. Amsterdam... Rotterdammers just don't like the
place, that busy, messy city of culture, decadence
and (isn't it typical for almost every capital?)
a certain arrogance. In the growling words of Rotterdam
poet (and Sparta supporters...) Jules Deelder once growled:
"Holland's money is earned in Rotterdam, divided in The Hague
[seat of the government, ed.] and flushed down
the toilet in Amsterdam." As simplified as that
observation may be, there is some truth in it.
Feyenoord's impressive club honours include fourteen Dutch
championships, ten Dutch cups, two UEFA Cups and - thanks to
Swedish striker Ove Kindvall's legendary goal against
Celtic in Milan - Europe's most prestigious football
trophy, the European Champions Cup. Feyenoord were the first
Dutch club to win it, back in 1970. The World Cup for
club teams was clinched the same year. Having
said that we might add that trophies and titles are not
the main concern of the average Feyenoord fan. Alright: Ajax
have more silverware and Feyenoord hardly every win anything
these days. So what?
Feyenoord fans are proud of other things. Such as their
impressive home ground, for example. It is officially
named Stadion Feyenoord but known to every Dutchman as
De Kuip ('The Tub', literally). It is generally
regarded as the most authentic and atmospheric football temple
in Holland. Quite typically for Rotterdam's working man's
identity, the fans built their home themselves: the
stadium was an unemployment relief project during the economic
crisis of the 1930s. The passionate Legion is, when it all
comes down to it, more devoted and loyal than the
ever-critical and demanding Ajax support. Feyenoord's
official anthem is the most famous football anthem in Holland:
the incensive Hand In Hand, Kameraden!, which includes
the motto that sums it all up: "no words, but
deeds!"
The best stadium in Holland? As
much as we hate to admit it: probably so.
The 'deeds' of the team weren't always impressive. More so
than Ajax fans, Feyenoord fans know what it's like to go
through really, really bad times. In the late 1980s, after -
how ironic - Ajax icon Johan Cruyff had brought
Feyenoord their first championship in ten years (1984),
the proud Feyenoord Legion saw their team fight against
relegation for several seasons. They won a number of
Dutch Cups in the first half of the 1990s, but the battle for
the Eredivisie championship was normally a battle
between PSV and Ajax. The most painful thing for
Feyenoord, however, was a string of stunning
home spankings against the Amsterdam arch-enemy: a series
of 0-3, 0-4, 2-4, 0-5 and 0-5 defeats at De Kuip,
where Ajax - much to Rotterdam's frustration - almost
always do well. The Amsterdammers won as many
league games there as the hosts themselves.
The reward for the Legion's patience loyalty came in
1999, when the Ajax 'Empire of 1995' was collapsing and
Feyenoord won their first league title since 1984. In
2000-2001 the Amsterdammers were beaten twice in one season,
a memorable achievement (it had not happened since 1985)
and Feyenoord entered the 21st century with one
of their best purchases ever: striker Pierre van Hooydonk,
who became the key figure of the 2002 team
that brought the UEFA Cup to Rotterdam by beating
opponents such as Rangers FC, PSV, Inter Milan
and Borussia Dortmund. Feyenoord were not only the
first but also (for now) the last Dutch side to have won a
European trophy. A statistic Feyenoord fans can defend
themselves with now that an increasing number of football
journalists start to have their doubts
about Feyenoord's status as a top club. Ajax and
PSV statistically win four or five
championships every decade. Feyenoord have
simply been unable to compete in the past 30 years, in which
the club won 'only' three championships.
Paul Bosvelt lifts Feyenoord's
third European trophy: the UEFA Cup of 2002.
Peace will probably never be signed between the fans Ajax
and Feyenoord, although both fan sides will agree that the
nasty eruptions of hooligan violence of the past 25
years must stop. An arranged hooligan battle on the
highway near Beverwijk cost a human life in 1997 and,
sadly, the list of disgraceful incidents is still getting
longer: the riots in Rotterdam of April 2005 belonged
to the worst in the history of Dutch
hooliganism. More than anything else, however, Ajax
vs Feyenoord is a football game between two respectable
football institutes with cultures and traditions that
are different, but - more than anything else
- beautiful. Ajax and Feyenoord fans probably respect each
other more than they would ever admit. Let's face it: someone
you really look down upon, can never be your rival.
(MP)
FEYENOORD FACTS
Founded: 19 July 1908 as Feijenoord. Spelling
'internationalized' in 1971.
City: Rotterdam
Stadium: Stadium Feyenoord (a.k.a. De Kuip)
Capacity: 51,177
Official website: www.feyenoord.nl
Honors:
- Dutch champions (14 times): 1924, 1928, 1936, 1938, 1940,
1961, 1962 1965, 1969, 1971, 1974, 1984, 1993, 1999
- Dutch Cup winners (10 times): 1930, 1935, 1965, 1969,
1980, 1984, 1991 1992, 1994, 1995
- Dutch Super Cup winners (2 times): 1991, 1999
- European Champions Cup winners: 1970
- UEFA Cup winners: 1974, 2002
- World Cup winners: 1970
Recent History: Ajax vs
Feyenoord
- 2005-2006
- 2004-2005
- 2003-2004
- 2002-2003
- 2001-2002
- 2000-2001
