All professional football in the Netherlands have been banned until September 2020.
This was announced by Prime Minister, Mark Rutte on Tuesday with the coronavirus pandemic sweeping across the globe.
The announcement throws the future of the 2019-20 Eredivisie season into doubt as Tuesday’s announcement means there can be no form of football in the Netherlands until September 1 at the earliest.
The 2019/20 Eredivisie has been on hold since early March, with nine games remaining and Ajax ahead of AZ at the top of the table on goal difference.
Though many leagues across Europe are considering a return in the summer with games behind closed doors, Rutte said at a press conference that even matches with no fans will not happen until the fall at the earliest.
“This coronavirus crisis is one of the most substantial, most gripping, and most troubling periods that any of us will ever experience. I’ve been struggling with you for the past few days,” Rutte said.
“We don’t want the virus to resurface.
“This is the maximum we can do at the moment. In particular, relaxing the social distancing rules too quickly will lead to a second wave of infections which needs to be averted.
“These are difficult considerations but it’s a question of better safe than sorry. We have to be very cautious,” he explained.
A ban on events subject to licensing was previously in place through June 1, and Rutte has now confirmed the extension of that ban through September.
That meant that in addition to professional football, a pair of popular festivals in the Netherlands were also cancelled.
“We will certainly not be able to handle the risks in the coming months, and we want to provide organizers with clarity.
“That means no Pinkpop, Zwarte Cross and no paid professional football either. That is irritating, but we will have to make that sacrifice,” Rutte said.
Several Eredivisie clubs have recently expressed their support for ending the season, including AZ, Ajax and PSV among others. Should the season end it would be up to the Dutch Football Federation (KNVB) to determine how the competition is resolved.
The entire season could potentially be voided, or the KNVB could decide to award Ajax the title based on their current position atop the Eredivisie table.
Former Netherlands national team manager Louis van Gaal recently hit out at Ajax, saying the club was looking to take advantage of the coronavirus uncertainty to secure the title.
