Police arrested 326 people at the weekend during a protest by Feyenoord supporters at the club’s De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam.

Around 1,000 supporters took part in the demonstration before the match against Roda JC on Sunday afternoon.

Police used baton charges to disperse the crowd and sealed off the police station where the arrested fans were processed and fined for offences including disorder and unlawful assembly.

Necessary

The city’s mayor, Ahmed Aboutaleb, said a heavy police presence was necessary because the protest had not been authorised in advance. He added he wanted to avoid a repeat of the protest at the Maasgebouw in 2011, when police drew their pistols on hundreds of Feyenoord supporters who were threatening to storm a board meeting.

‘If you know beforehand what they’re planning and how many demonstrators are coming you can arrange a proportional police presence,’ Aboutaleb told NOS. ‘If we don’t know that in advance, we have to prepare for the worst. And that’s what we did. One thing was clear: we wanted no repeat of guns being drawn as happened in 2011.’

Disproportionate

Fans said the protest was peaceful and branded the police response disproportionate. Many supporters are expected to contest their fines because they fear they will otherwise be banned from the stadium.

Many protestors brought cardboard removal boxes as a gesture to the club’s directors to pack their bags. They also carried a banner with the message: ‘If we’re the customers, you’re the board of V&D’, referring to the shutdown of the department store chain.

The demonstration follows a poor run of form which has seen the team slip from title contention to seventh place in the Eredivisie. Feyenoord’s 1-1 draw with Roda JC on Sunday ended a run of seven straight league defeats.