Alongside all the great football rivalries 'De Klassieker' in Holland is rightly regarded as being amongst the best of them. Boca against River Plate, Celtic against Rangers or Atletico v Real Madrid all see the same emotions expressed on the pitch and off it. However, very few of these games have seen the level of supporter violence between the two Dutch clubs fans over the years. Things reached a standpoint recently when the mayors of Amsterdam and Rotterdam made an agreement with the KNVB to ban visiting fans from the away games for the next five seasons in an effort to curb the violence between the two. Then on 25th March 2010 Ajax Amsterdam defeated Go Ahead Eagles 6-0 in another flashpoint area, Deventer and with that a Dutch Cup final against Feyenoord Rotterdam became a reality. It has now been confirmed that the game will be played as a two legged affair in Amsterdam and Rotterdam with no away fans allowed at either game. 

The Final Without away fans

The decision is hardly surprising given the high profile nature of the event and the intensity that exists between the two clubs and the respective cities. Games with no away fans have become something of a fashion almost everywhere. In Spain RCD Espanyol reacted to sporadic trouble at the Catalonian derby to ban all Barcalona fans from the new Estadi Cornellla El Prat Stadium when the teams clashed. In the English Premiership police have embarked upon a new security indulgence fad called 'bubble games' where ticket only away fans are bussed into strictly monitored stadium access zones so as to avoid trouble at potential flashpoint matches. In Holland the qualification of Ajax for the Dutch Cup final did not initially set the alarm bells ringing amongst the KNVB organisers.

Recent years have seen Ajax fans travel to Rotterdam for KNVB finals but massive police presence and a strict security operations has meant that the games have passed off without many major incidents. As it was originally, the KNVB and the mayor of Rotterdam had agreed to allow 10,000 fans from both teams into Feyenoord's 48,000 De Kuip stadium for the 2010 final which has played host to the Dutch Cup final since 1989, and the vetting of whom would get tickets was upper most in the minds of the KNVB. However, as the ticket sales process moved on fan forums in Holland were rife with discontent at the paltry allocations and where the 'other' 28,000 tickets would go. Soon after it was confirmed that segregation between the two sets of supporters in the ground would not be enough for the final and both Ajax and Feyenoord fans had been obtaining tickets in neutral areas of the ground. It was clear that the possibility of violence inside the ground between mixing fans was a distinct possibility.

The KNVB Cup or the KNVB Beker is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the (KNVB) since 1899. The tournament consists of all teams from the top two tiers of Dutch league football Eredivisie and Earste Divisie as well as the top four teams from each of the six third tiers of Dutch football called the Hoofdklasse, while the remaining teams are drawn from the fourth tier called the Earste Klasse. The final of the tournament traditionally takes place in the De Kuip and has been held in Rotterdam every season since 1988. It's a match worthy of academic analysis and debate. Books, magazine specials and essays have been written about the emotions of what is known in the Netherlands as De Klassieker, the annual confrontation between Holland's most renowned and by far most popular football clubs from Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Ajax against Feyenoord is not only a football game, but also a clash between two cities with extreme differences in attitudes and urban culture.

Feyenoord are historically the club of the dockworkers of Rotterdam-South, with a deeply rooted sense of working class brotherhood and an attitude in which work-ethic, willpower and fan hymn singing are the keywords. The soul of Rotterdam is reflected by the Feyenoord Legioen as the fans proudly call themselves.  Tough, no-nonsense footballers with fighting spirit is replicted in the stands meaning those that display these qualities often have the best chance of becoming popular with the Feyenoord fans. Ajax are the sophisticated 'middle class' club from the capital, with a long tradition of mouthy, self-assured players with the innate cultural swagger of the capital itself. It was said that Holland's money is earned in Rotterdam, divided in The Hague and flushed down the toilet in Amsterdam. As simplified and crass as this observation may be there is some truth in it given the obvious cultural divide between the city.

Both clubs have also been highly successful and Feyenoord's impressive club honours include fourteen Dutch championships, ten Dutch cups, two UEFA Cups and Europe's most prestigious football trophy, the European Champions Cup in 1970.  Recent years though have seen both Ajax and Feyenoord fall down from where once they had a trophy laden duopoly in Dutch football.  Clubs such as PSV Eindhoven and AZ Alkmaar have emerged and pushed the big two down the league ladder. Feyenoord's sense of self pride can be seen in its title of being 'De stadion club'. Rotterdam with three clubs Sparta, Feyenoord and Excelsior are officially the top football city in the country or 'Voetbalstad nummer 1.' The home ground is 'officially named Stadion Feyenoord' but is known to every Dutchman as De Kuip 'The Tub', literally in English. 

It is generally regarded as the most authentic and atmospheric football temple in Holland and one of the most hostile in Europe. Quite typically for Rotterdam's working man's identity the fans built their home themselves as 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. Also, Feyenoord's official anthem is the most famous football anthem in Holland:  Hand In Hand, Kameraden!, which includes the motto that sums up the club:"no words, but deeds!However, the 'deeds' of Feyenoord have not always been so impressive. More than Ajax especially in more modern times, Feyenoord fans know what it's like to go through really, really bad times.

In the late 1980s, relegation scraps were the norm until the club won a number of Dutch Cups in the first half of the 1990s, but the battle for the Eredivisie championship was normally one between PSV and Ajax. Especially sore also has been the numerous wins Ajax have had in Rotterdam over Feyenoord.The reward for Feyenoord fans patience and loyalty came in 1999 when Ajax's 'Empire of 1995' eventually collapsed and Feyenoord won their first league title since 1984. In 2002 the club won the UEFA Cup on its home ground against Borussia Dortmund 3-2 meaning that they were the first Dutch side to have won a European trophy, and also the last.

There have been many clashes between the supporters of both clubs over the years, of which the incident at Beverwijk 20 klm north of Amsterdam in 1997 was infamous. The aftermath of the game led to the anti-hooliganism slogan 'Its Football, don't mess it up' becoming widespread. One Ajax fan, Carlo Picornie, was beaten to death by supporters of Feyenoord and the incident triggered some strict policies from the Dutch football association KNVB to tackle organised hooligan firms. The death of Picorie has led to gloating songs being sang by Feyenoord fans whenever the two teams play:

O come have a look,
Who is there in that pasture,
Carlo Picornie with his eyes closed.
He led, for had some guts,
but was murdered by S.C.F,
the winner was the hamerman,
the F-side that took the legs!
Jews always run away!

THERE is a corpse in Beverwijk!
Another great victory!
Everyone is Jewish but us!
Anne Frank De Boer ole ole
Where is Picornie now?!

Chants at the de Kuip ring out whenever Feyenoord play.  Stadium Feyenoord is the hubristic pride of the Rotterdam fan and they want others to know:

We zijn de beste supporters van het land,
We zijn de beste supporters van het land,
We zijn de beste supporters, de beste supporters,
de beste supporters van het land.

We are the best supporters in the country,
We are the best supporters in the country,
We have the best fans the best fans,