Dutch soccer association investigates racist chants at match
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch soccer association says it is investigating racist chants that prompted a referee to briefly suspend a second-division match.
The association, known as the KNVB, says “unfortunately, racism is a problem in society that sometimes raises its head in soccer.”
The incident happened during Sunday’s match between FC Den Bosch and Excelsior Rotterdam. The KNVB says its protocol for offensive chants “was correctly implemented” when referee Laurens Gerrets took the players off the field after 30 minutes of play following chants directed at Excelsior player Ahmad Mendes Moreira, who is black.
In a statement on the club’s website, Mendes Moreira says “from the first minute all kinds of things were shouted at me and it hurts a lot.”
The KNVB says it is working with FC Den Bosch to track down and punish those responsible for the chants.
