Dominique Scholten is on the eve of his first Twente derby as general manager of FC Twente. Scholten was previously active at FC Twente and Heracles Almelo and therefore knows what the derby entails. Yet he finds the Gelderland derby between Vitesse and NEC a lot more intense to experience.
“The atmosphere between the supporters there is a lot more hostile,” Scholten tells the newspaper TC Tubantia. “The derby is more lively and emotional. Just look at the last training sessions when they have to play against each other. Both clubs attract massive attendance, which is a lot less here. If you come from Nijmegen, you are raised with the feeling of Vitesse is the eternal rival and competitor.”
“They have less of that in this region,” the FC Twente director continues. “Here they tend to look at the top clubs. I made my debut for NEC in the derby in De Goffert against Vitesse. That is of course very special for a boy from Nijmegen. I was allowed in twenty minutes before time, because I was talented and it had done well.”
“We were behind, but the crowd reacted enthusiastically despite the deficit, because I was a boy from the city and from the club. For that one time, I didn’t mind that we lost to Vitesse,” said Scholten.
