Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho spoke in his press conference in Rotterdam ahead of his team’s Europa League tie against Feyenoord. He lamented the fact that De Kuip will be half empty tomorrow due to the sanctions placed on Feyenoord by UEFA.

  • By James Rowe
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mourinFeyenoord were handed the punishment by UEFA due to crowd trouble in their last home game in Europe, which was a 1-1 draw with Roma during the 2014/15 season.

Speaking about the punishment, Mourinho said, ”I think it’s a shame that the stadium capacity is reduced due to the sanctions placed on Feyenoord by UEFA. There is no player of manager that wants to play in an empty stadium. We are lucky that the stadium is only half empty and not completely empty but half of it is not the same as a full stadium.

”Unfortunately these are the consequences of something very negative that happened to Feyenoord and I am aware of what happened to them against AS Roma and on the streets of Rome too and Feyenoord is much bigger than that.

”The damage that a few hundred people have caused has resulted in the end that the club is then punished due to their actions. In regards to the game tomorrow, it is not just the club that is punished but also the players. All players want to play in a full stadium with a good atmosphere. Also for the managers too Giovanni van Bronckhorst and myself because we want a full stadium.

”I came to the De Kuip for a friendly game a few years ago and I am fully aware of the atmosphere that this stadium can create.”




James Rowe (696 Posts)