Feyenoord has qualified for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. The billion-dollar ball, which will be completely overhauled next season, will bring in the necessary millions. In FC Rijnmond, commercial director Ruud van der Knaap speaks about this financial boost, the departure of Arne Slot and the fireworks in the cup final.
Feyenoord secured Champions League football last Thursday by beating Fortuna Sittard 1-3. This achievement not only gives the club a boost on a sporting level, but the club is also making great strides financially. “Insuring the Champions League is a huge boost for the club. The calculation has yet to be made, but it will amount to at least 35 million euros.”
Arne Slot will become head coach of Liverpool next year and that makes even commercial director Ruud van der Knaap secretly a little proud. “He has done very well at Feyenoord. He has achieved excellent performances and we are very grateful for that. As a supporter I am proud that he is taking that step, but as a director you look at it differently. We would prefer another two years with him continue.”
The cup final against NEC was stopped twice. The first time by NEC torches, the second time by a burning banner in the canal. Feyenoord is unable to keep the fireworks outside the stadium. “We do all kinds of things to ensure safety in the stadium for all visitors. A letter was recently written about this to the city council, so you can see what efforts we are already making. However, it appears to be difficult to remove the fireworks from the stadium. to hold.”
Many people who never come to De Kuip think that they are not searched, but Van der Knaap refutes that argument. “There will probably be supporters who are not searched, but the vast majority are certainly searched. At major matches there is even a dog sniffing my car to see whether or not I have fireworks with me. We do a lot about it, but it is difficult.”
