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KPN Eredivisie, 2000-2001: Club Profile

FEYENOORD: "NO WORDS, BUT DEEDS!" - INTRODUCTION TO AN ETERNAL RIVALRY

How can you explain a football rivalry that's larger than football itself? Articles, books and documentaries have been made about Holland's 'Classic', the clash between the nation's best known, biggest and most popular club teams, from the country's two largest cities, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Answers were given and they were all correct, but in a way they also missed the point. Ajax vs Feyenoord is like Real versus Barcelona, like Milan versus Inter, or Celtic versus Rangers. Too much has happened. There's too much going on. All you can do is try to explain…

Taking a close look at both clubs and where they come from, it seems like almost every details contributes to the eternal feud. Historically, Feyenoord is the club of the dockworkers of Rotterdam-South. Good, tough fellows with a sense of brotherhood and a down-to-earth, no-nonsense attitude. The spirit of the Rotterdam docks is reflected by the love of the uncompromising Feyenoord 'Legion' for tough footballers with a healthy fighting spirit. No wonder that Rotterdam street kid Coen Moulijn and stooped midfielder Willem van Hanegem belong to De Kuip's eternal heroes.

No wonder, either, that they don't like the traditional picture of Ajax: a sophisticated lower and upper class club, that used to be dominated by rich Amsterdam Jews. Neither do they like Amsterdam: messy city of culture, nightlife, decadence and - isn't it a problem of all capitals? - arrogance. "Holland's money", Rotterdam writer (and Sparta fan…) Jules Deelder once said, "is earned in Rotterdam, divided in The Hague (seat of the government, ed.) and thrown down the drain in Amsterdam." Simplified as that observation may be, there is some truth in it.

Feyenoord's honors are no less than impressive: 14 league titles, 10 Dutch Cups and, thanks to Swedish striker Ove Kindvall's legendary goal against Celtic, Europe's most important football trophy, the Champions Cup. Feyenoord was the first Dutch club in history to win it, in 1970. But trophies and titles are not what the average Feyenoord fan is most proud of. Ajax has more silver ware - but so what?

After all, there's only one De Kuip in Holland, Feyenoord's home-port and most definitely the most authentic, traditional and impressive football temple in the country, built in 1936 as one of the unemployment relief work projects during the crisis of the 1930s. Typically, the Feyenoord Legion built its home itself, in a way. Ajax' fanbase may be equally big, but the one of Feyenoord is more 'British': louder, more devoted, and if it all comes to an end, more faithful. Their anthem is the most famous club anthem in Holland, the incensive Hand In Hand, Kameraden!, with that famous, typical Feyenoord phrase: 'no words, but deeds!' Maybe that piece of lyric, from Feyenoord's old club anthem, is the essence of the everlasting feud: Ajacieden, Amsterdammers, you know… they like the words...

More so than Ajacieden, Feyenoord fans know what it's like to go through a really, really bad period. In the late 1980s, after - ironically - Ajax icon Johan Cruijff had brought them their first league championship in ten years, the proud Feyenoord Legion saw their team struggle, even fighting against relegation. They recovered, in good Feyenoord style, and became respectable Cup fighters, winning the national cup four times in the first half of the 1990s. But in the mean time, all three European trophies available went to Amsterdam. Feyenoord was humiliated by its Amsterdam rivals, with 0-3 0-4, 2-4 and even two 0-5 defeats in De Kuip as the most painful highlights. Time and time again, and they were forced to watch it, grinding their teeth.

The reward for the Legion's patience came in 1999, the year in which the Ajax empire collapsed and Feyenoord won its first league title since 1993. Two years later, they beat the Amsterdam big-mouths twice in one season, for the first time since 1985. Feyenoord has wiped out its 'Ajax trauma' of the 1990s with its own typical Feyenoord will-power.

It will never be peace between Ajax and Feyenoord, although both fan sides will agree that the nasty eruptions of hooligan violence simply have to stop, after the hooligan battles cost a human life a few years ago. Ajax vs Feyenoord can be nasty, but more often, it's just a football confrontation between two strkingly beautiful football institutes. Despite the hatred, true Ajax and Feyenoord fans respect each other more than they would ever admit. Face it: someone you really look down on, can never be your rival. (MP)

FEYENOORD FACTS

Founded: 19 July, 1908
City: Rotterdam
Stadium: Stadium Feyenoord, a.k.a. De Kuip
Capacity: 51,177
Official website: http://feyenoord.nl

Honors:

• Dutch champions (14 times): 1924, 1928, 1936, 1938, 1940, 1961, 1962 1965, 1969, 1971, 1974, 1984, 1993, 1999
• Dutch Cup winners (10 times): 1930, 1935, 1965, 1969, 1980, 1984, 1991 1992, 1994, 1995
• Dutch Super Cup winners (2 times): 1991, 1999
• European Champions Cup winners: 1970
• UEFA Cup winners: 1974
• World Cup winners: 1970

Ajax vs Feyenoord, the last five Eredivisie seasons: Related Links:

• Match report: Ajax-Feyenoord (13 May, 2001)
• Match report: Feyenoord - Ajax (10 December, 2000)
• Official Feyenoord website