Feyenoord

Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after its neighbourhood in 1912 as SC Feijenoord, updated in 1974 to SC Feyenoord, and then to ''Feyenoord Rotterdam'' in 1978, when it split from the amateur club under its wing, SC Feyenoord. Since 1937, Feyenoord's home ground has been the Stadion Feijenoord, nicknamed De Kuip ('the tub'), the second largest stadium in The Netherlands.

Feyenoord is one of the most successful clubs in Dutch football, winning 15 Dutch football championships, 13 KNVB Cups, and 4 Johan Cruyff Shields. Internationally, it has won one European Cup, two UEFA Cups, and one Intercontinental Cup. The club has played continuously in the top tier of the Dutch football system since gaining promotion to ''Eerste Klasse (''the Eredivisie's forerunner competition) in 1921, more times than any other club in the country, including the likes of Ajax and PSV Eindhoven.

Feyenoord is known as a people's club with a huge national and international support. Its most successful period was the 1960s and 1970s, when Coen Moulijn and Ove Kindvall led the club to six league titles, two European trophies, and an Intercontinental Cup, thereby becoming the first Dutch club in history to win both the European Cup and the Intercontinental Cup. In the 21st century, Feyenoord ended an 18-year league title drought in 2017 and won the 2002 UEFA Cup against Borussia Dortmund in its home stadium, which makes them the first and still the last team from the Netherlands to win a European trophy this century.

Feyenoord has a longstanding rivalry with their arch rival Ajax, a clash between two teams from the two biggest cities in the Netherlands, called ''De Klassieker'' ("The Classic"). The club's anthem is "Hand in Hand". The home shirt colours are red and white split down the middle with both the shorts and socks being black.

As of 2017, Feyenoord is a multi-sports club, including Sportclub Feyenoord (amateur football team), Feyenoord Basketball, Feyenoord Futsal and Feyenoord Handball.

History

Foundation

The football club Wilhelmina was founded in the pub ''De Vereeniging'' on 19 July 1908Oprichting Wilhelmina
, frgoals.nl and played in blue-sleeved red shirts and white shorts. Between 1908, 1910, 1911, and 1912, the club underwent a series of changes of name and team colours, becoming Hillesluise Football Club in 1909,HFC en Celeritas
, frgoals.nl and then RVV Celeritas. Upon earning promotion to the National football association in 1912, the club renamed to SC Feijenoord (after the city district in which the team was founded), and changed uniform once again, adopting the red and white shirts, black shorts and black socks that they still wear today.Tot Feijenoord en de eerste prijzen
, frgoals.nl In 1918, Feijenoord were promoted to the highest level of Dutch football and moved to the ground ''Kromme Zandweg''.

First successes

After 18 years, the formation of the club and a mere three years after they were promoted to the highest level of Dutch football Feijenoord earned their first honours by capturing the national league championship in 1924. The team enjoyed a string of successes in the latter half of the decade, taking divisional titles in 1926, 1927, 1928 and 1929, and winning their second national championship in 1928.

Feijenoord won their first Dutch Cup in 1930 by scoring the only goal in a derby final against Excelsior.Netherlands Cup Finals
rsssf.com They continued to dominate their division with three consecutive titles, but were winless in subsequent championship finals. Five years after their first cup win, Feijenoord took the prize for a second time in 1935, by beating HVV Helmond.

Feijenoord started to attract more fans to their stadium at Kromme Zandweg, and in 1933, they decided to build a new facility. The club moved to the Feijenoord Stadion (nicknamed "De Kuip" or "the Tub") in 1937, playing the first match there on 27 March against Beerschot.Feijenoord werkt aan prijzenkast
, frgoals.nl During this period Feijenoord won three consecutive division titles from 1936 to 1938, with their third and fourth national championships coming in 1936 and 1938.Landstitel in Sparta Stadion
, frgoals.nl

During World War II, Feijenoord played their matches at Sparta Rotterdam's Kasteel, as the Nazis had occupied De Kuip. When Het Kasteel was unavailable due to clashes with Sparta fixtures, Feijenoord played at their former ground, the Kromme Zandweg.

Feijenoord again won a division title with a national championship in 1940, their fifth Dutch title. During the German occupation of the Netherlands, play continued in Dutch football leagues, though the 1945 championship was cancelled as the war came to its conclusion.Dutch Championships
rsssf.com During this period, Feijenoord's only trophy was a divisional championship in 1943. After the war, Feijenoord did not perform as well as they had in previous decades, not seriously challenging in their division and so missing the national playoff rounds.

On 30 June 1954, the chairmen of the three biggest Rotterdam teams organised a meeting in Utrecht, which was attended by several chairmen of other clubs and a delegation of the KNVB to discuss the start of professional football in the Netherlands.De nieuwe start
, frgoals.nl The professional era commenced with the first Eredivisie season in 1954/1955. Feijenoord were one of the clubs participating in the inaugural Eredivisie and have never been relegated. One of the most memorable matches in these first years of professional football was the clash between Feijenoord and the Volewijckers at 2 April 1956, which Feijenoord won 11–4, with nine goals by Henk Schouten. Feijenoord would grow an intense rivalry with Ajax. Matches between the two clubs quickly were dubbed as ''de Klassieker'' ("The Classic"). The first memorable '' Klassieker'' from a Feijenoord point of view took place at 11 November 1956, when Daan den Bleijker scored four times to give Feijenoord a 7–3 win over their archrivals.The rival
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Golden era

Feijenoord claimed their first professional Eredivisie Championship and their sixth Dutch Championship in 1961.Landstitels en de dubbel(s)
, frgoals.nl On the road to the title Ajax was beaten 9–5 in De Kuip, four of Feijenoord's goals were scored by Henk Schouten. The following season, they played their first European Cup match facing IFK Göteborg. The Swedes were beaten 0–3 in Gothenburg and 8–2 in Rotterdam. Feijenoord were eliminated by Tottenham Hotspur in the following round.Feyenoord in Europa
, voetbalstats.nl In 1962, Feijenoord successfully defended their Dutch Championship title and reached the final of the Intertoto Cup 1961–62. where Feijenoord faced arch-rival Ajax in the final and subsequently lost 4–2.

On 12 December 1962, Feijenoord played a decisive match versus Vasas SC in the second round of the 1962–63 European Cup. The first two legs, in Rotterdam and Budapest, both ended in a 1–0 home victory, forcing a replay on a neutral ground to take place.Passage to Lisbon
, feyenoord.com The match was played in Antwerp, where 30,000 Feijenoord fans travelled by bus to see their team play. Also this time, the final score was 1–0; Rinus Bennaars scored the only goal and was immediately nicknamed "The Hero of Deurne", reflecting the neighbourhood in Antwerp where the match was played. The events in Antwerp resulted in an enduring friendly relationship between the fans of Feijenoord and Royal Antwerp.

In 1963, hundreds of thousands of people stood ashore by the Nieuwe Maas and the Nieuwe Waterweg to wave two ships, de ''Groote Beer'' and the ''Waterman'' goodbye. The ships transported thousands of Feijenoord fans to Lisbon where the club faced Benfica on 8 May 1963 in the European Cup semi-finals. The first leg, held in Rotterdam a month earlier, finished 0–0. Despite Feijenoord eventually losing the match 3–1, this turned out to be the start of the most successful period in the club's history. Feijenoord won the double for the first time in their history in 1965, and managed to win another double a few years later in 1969. The 1965 title secured Feijenoord a spot in the 1965–66 European Cup, where they faced multiple cup champion Real Madrid on 8 September 1965. During the match, Hans Kraay had to leave the pitch injured after 31 minutes, without being substituted. He returned at the start of the second half and scored the goal which resulted in a 2–1 win. During the match, fans' favourite Coen Moulijn was attacked by a Spanish defender. Moulijn then proceeded to chase the defender down the pitch, leading other players, and even fans who entered the pitch, to do the same. The referee could do nothing but to suspend the match at 2–1 in Feijenoord's favour. Two weeks later, Real Madrid comfortably beat Feijenoord 5–0 and eventually won the European Cup that season.

As the 1969 Dutch champions, Feijenoord participated in the 1969–70 European Cup. After winning against Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur 16–2 on aggregate in the first round, the club faced Milan. Feijenoord lost the first leg 1–0 in Italy but overcame the loss in their own stadium with a 2–0 win, securing a place in the quarter-finals, where they faced ASK Vorwärts Berlin.

The tie followed the same pattern as the previous round: Feijenoord losing the first match 1–0 away, then winning 2–0 at home. In the semi-finals, Feijenoord beat Legia Warszawa 2–0 on aggregate, earning Feijenoord their first European final. Feijenoord faced Celtic in the final, held in the San Siro stadium in Milan. Goals by Tommy Gemmell and Rinus Israël resulted in a 1–1 draw after 90 minutes. Three minutes before the end of extra time, Ove Kindvall scored Feijenoord's winning goal, leading Feijenoord to be the first Dutch team to claim a major European trophy.

As reigning European champions, Feijenoord faced Estudiantes La Plata in the Intercontinental Cup. The first match in Buenos Aires' La Bombonera finished in a 2–2 draw. Back in Rotterdam, Feijenoord managed a 1–0 victory (winning goal by Joop van Daele) to win the world club crown, the first Dutch team to do so. Estudiantes player Oscar Malbernat got frustrated and grabbed Van Daele's glasses and trampled on them. "You are not allowed to play with glasses... at least not in South America" was his excuse.Party in Rotterdam
, feyenoord.nl As the cup holders, Feijenoord participated in the 1970–71 European Cup despite relinquishing the Dutch title, which was won by Ajax. Feijenoord were eliminated in the first round, following a surprise defeat by the Romanian team UTA Arad. In 1971, Feijenoord won their 10th Dutch Championship.Feyenoord gaat door
, frgoals.nl

In 1974, the club changed their name from ''Feijenoord'' to Feyenoord, as people from outside the Netherlands did not know how to pronounce Dutch ''ij''. Under their new name, they played in the 1973–74 UEFA Cup, reaching the final, following a 4–3 aggregate win over VfB Stuttgart in the semi finals. The opponent in the final was Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs took a 2–1 lead in the first leg at White Hart Lane, but Theo de Jong equalised after 85 minutes and the match ended in a 2–2 draw. Feyenoord then won their match in Rotterdam 2–0, thanks to goals by Wim Rijsbergen and Peter Ressel, and also became the first Dutch team to win the UEFA Cup. As a result, Spurs fans started to riot, introducing Dutch football to the spectre of hooliganism in the process. The remainder of the decade saw Feyenoord win only one more honour: the Dutch Championship in 1974. In 1978, the club divided their professional and amateur sides to form two separate teams, Feyenoord Rotterdam for professionals and SC Feyenoord for amateurs.Splitsing en weer prijzen
, frgoals.nl

Feyenoord won their fifth Dutch Cup in 1980 by beating Ajax 3–1 in the final.
In 1984, Feyenoord had another bright season, winning the double for the third time in their history. Key players in the squad from this period included Johan Cruyff, Ruud Gullit and Peter Houtman (who later became the Feyenoord stadium announcer).Playing for Feyenoord
, cruijff.com Cruyff reacted to Ajax's decision not to offer him a new contract at the start of the season and signed for archrivals Feyenoord instead. Cruyff's move to Rotterdam was criticised and increased Ajax's motivation to beat Feyenoord. In the Olympic Stadium of Amsterdam Feyenoord suffered one of their most heavy defeats ever: 8–2. However, Feyenoord later defeated Ajax in Rotterdam 4–1 and Ajax were subsequently beaten a second time in the Dutch Cup. Feyenoord proceeded to win a league and cup double by beating Fortuna Sittard in the cup final.

After the successful season, Feyenoord experienced a lean period and were unable to finish the season in a higher position than third. In the 1989–90 season, the club struggled to remain in the Eredivisie, but eventually managed to avoid relegation. The club had financial problems, and as a result, the staff was not able to recover and their main sponsor, HCS went bankrupt.

When Wim Jansen was appointed as the interim manager to replace Günder Bengtsson and Pim Verbeek after a 6–0 defeat against PSV, the outlook began to improve for the club. PSV, the strongest Dutch club of the period, were knocked out of the KNVB Cup by a Henk Fräser goal in Eindhoven. Feyenoord progressed to the 1991 final, where they beat BVV Den Bosch 1–0 to win the competition. As the cup holders, they faced champions PSV again, this time in the 1991 Dutch Supercup, the first Supercup held since 1949. PSV were beaten 1–0 by a Marian Damaschin goal to add another honour to the club's achievements.Netherlands list of Super Cup finals
rsssf.com They went on to win another Dutch Cup in 1992, beating Roda JC 3–0 in the final. The same year, Feyenoord reached the semi-finals in the 1991–92 European Cup Winners' Cup, beating Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-finals, before being eliminated by Monaco on away goals, after two draws.

In 1993, Feyenoord secured another Dutch Championship by beating Groningen 5–0 in the last league match of the season.1993 Groningen-Feyenoord 0–5
, qontour.nl The match was played at the Oosterpark Stadion in Groningen, so 40.000 Feyenoord fans watched the game on giant screens in De Kuip. The title was followed by another two Dutch Cups in 1994 (beating NEC 2–1) and 1995 (beating Volendam 2–1). During the 1994–95 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, Feyenoord reached the quarter finals after beating Werder Bremen in the second round. They eventually lost to Real Zaragoza. In the quarter-finals in the 1995 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord visited Ajax, which would win the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League later that season. Ajax was leading 1–0 when Ruud Heus equalised with a penalty just before full-time. In extra time, Feyenoord became the only team to defeat Ajax the same season they won the Eredivisie and the Champions League unbeaten. The goal scored by Mike Obiku was the decider as the new golden goal rule became in use. During the 1995–96 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, Everton and Borussia Mönchengladbach were beaten. A total of 14,000 Feyenoord fans travelled to Germany to support the team against Mönchengladbach. Feyenoord were eliminated in the semi-finals by a Carsten Jancker-inspired Rapid Wien.

Feyenoord made their UEFA Champions League debut in 1997–98, finishing third in their group behind Manchester United and Juventus. However, Juventus was beaten 2–0 in Rotterdam, with both Feyenoord goals scored by Julio Cruz. In 1998, the FIOD-ECD (Fiscal Information and Investigation Service/Economic Investigation Service) visited Feyenoord because of suspected fraud,Laatste woord Jorien van den Herik in Hoger Beroep "FIOD-Affaire"
feyenoord.nl mainly based on the signings of Aurelio Vidmar, Christian Gyan and Patrick Allotey. This became an ongoing scandal in following years, with club chairman Jorien van den Herik the main suspect. On 25 April 1999, Feyenoord secured their 14th Dutch Championship. 250,000 fans celebrated with the team in the center of Rotterdam. However, later in the evening, heavy rioting started. Prior to the start of the 1999–2000 season, Ajax were beaten in their own stadium when Feyenoord won their second Dutch Super Cup title after a free-kick goal by Patrick Paauwe secured a 3–2 win.

Millennium

During the 1999–2000 season, Feyenoord participated in the Champions League for the second time. This time, the club managed to finish second in their group, behind Rosenborg BK and ahead of Borussia Dortmund.Champions League 1999/2000 Standings and results
zanziball.it Feyenoord reached the second group stage and secured wins against Marseille (home) and Lazio (away). Chelsea won both clashes and, as a result, Feyenoord had to win their last group match away to Marseille to reach the knockout stages. The final result was 0–0, and Feyenoord were eliminated.

Feyenoord again participated in the Champions League in 2001–02, finishing third in a group containing Bayern Munich, Sparta Prague and Spartak Moscow. This meant Feyenoord continued their European season in the 2001–02 UEFA Cup instead of the second Champions League group stage.Van Hooijdonk fires Feyenoord up
uefa.com The disappointment of failing to reach the second group stage eventually resulted in optimism and celebration. By defeating SC Freiburg and Rangers, Feyenoord faced fellow Dutch club PSV in the quarter-finals. Both matches ended in 1–1 draws, and the clash went into extra time and a penalty shoot-out. Pierre van Hooijdonk, who had a superb season by scoring many free-kicks goals, secured Feyenoord's win by scoring a 90th-minute equalizer before finishing PSV off by scoring the last goal in the penalty shoot-out. A 1–0 win in Milan against Internazionale and a 2–2 return match in Rotterdam then earned Feyenoord a spot in the final, against Borussia Dortmund. Coincidentally, the final was held at De Kuip, and as a result, most spectators inside the stadium were Feyenoord fans. Feyenoord took a 2–0 lead thanks to another free-kick goal and a penalty by Van Hooijdonk. Early in the second half, Márcio Amoroso scored a goal to make it 2–1. Jon Dahl Tomasson then made it 3–1 and things looked good for Feyenoord. Dortmund only managed to score one more goal and the cup was won by Bert van Marwijk's Feyenoord.

A huge party erupted in and outside De Kuip not only because of the title, but also because the final was held several days after Rotterdam's political figure Pim Fortuyn was murdered. Many fans were still full of emotion, before and after the match. As a result of Fortuyn's murder, the cup was not officially celebrated in the city centre.

The 2002 UEFA Cup win was the start of a long dry spell for Feyenoord. In the 2002–03 season, the club finish third in the Eredivisie, as well as reach the final of the KNVB Cup, which was lost 1–4 to Utrecht. However, in the following years, Feyenoord disappointed in both the Eredivisie and KNVB Cup.

In between, in 2002 Feyenoord and chairman Jorien van den Herik were both found not guilty. Following the prosecutor's appeal, and despite three years of investigations, the trial verdict was upheld. Nonetheless, the prosecution stated it would not yet abandon its case.

The 2005–06 season ended in disappointment for Feyenoord. The team pursued the Dutch championship for most of the season, but eventually lost out to champions PSV. The newly created Dutch play-offs then proved to be gloomy for Feyenoord. Ajax, which finished several points behind in the regular league, were Feyenoord's opponent in the play-offs. Ajax outclassed them and Feyenoord lost out on a Champions League place.

In the 2006–07 season, the nightmare grew even bigger. The supporters saw their two star players leave to Chelsea (Salomon Kalou) and Liverpool ( Dirk Kuyt). At the same time, it became clear Feyenoord were in an appalling financial state despite earlier comments made by chairman Jorien van den Herik, who claimed that the club was financially healthy. Supporters' unrest grew into anger when Feyenoord bought Angelos Charisteas, a back-up striker of arch-rivals Ajax, with a poor track record, as a replacement for Dirk Kuyt. After continuous protests, Van den Herik resigned and the club began managerial reforms. However, the worst was not over. Feyenoord were banned from European competition following hooliganism prior to and during a match against Nancy, despite an appeal by the club. The season ended in bitter disappointment with a seventh-place finish, causing Feyenoord to miss European football for the first time in 16 years. While desperate supporters started preparing for a Dark Age, the club surprised friend and foe in the 2007 summer transfer window. A brilliant performance of young Dutch left back Royston Drenthe at the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship had investors flocking to the new investment schemes Feyenoord had established. The club appointed former manager Bert van Marwijk and was able to make a number of high-profile signings, including Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Roy Makaay. Despite the efforts, Feyenoord underperformed once again in the Eredivisie, finishing in a disappointing sixth place. The pain was relieved by claiming the first prize in six years: 100 years after the foundation of the club, Feyenoord managed to win the KNVB Cup after defeating Roda JC 2–0. As Van Marwijk accepted a job as manager of the national team, Feyenoord appointed Gertjan Verbeek as their manager for the 2008–09 season.

Financial problems

In the 2008–09 season, Feyenoord celebrated their 100th birthday and organised many events throughout the year. The old "golden logo" returned as Feyenoord's official logo, which had earlier been presented at the 2007 New Year's brunch. During the summer, a historical tournament was held between Feyenoord and the three opponents they met in the European Cup finals – Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham Hotspur and Celtic – named the Feyenoord Jubilee Tournament.Borussia, Spurs en Celtic naar Kuip
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Midway through the season, manager Verbeek was sacked due to disappointing league results. His assistant, Leon Vlemmings, took over as manager. The results in this period improved slightly, resulting in securing a spot in the playoffs for the final Dutch Europa League slot.

For the 2009–10 season, Feyenoord appointed former assistant manager and Feyenoord footballer Mario Been to take over from Vlemmings. Been, after achieving minor European successes with NEC, was considered the ideal candidate for the job. Former manager Leo Beenhakker, at the time manager of the Poland national team, took over as technical director. Partly because of this position, Beenhakker was able to attract more investors to the club, leading to some unexpected signings, including Sekou Cissé, Dani Fernández and Stefan Babović.

On 24 October 2010, Feyenoord lost heavily to PSV 10–0. In mid-January 2011, Beenhakker resigned after multiple clashes with the Feyenoord directors. His replacement was former Feyenoord player Martin van Geel, who at the time was working as technical director for fellow Eredivisie club Roda JC.

In July 2011, a majority of players in the squad voted to oust Been as club manager; 13 of 18 players voted they had lost all confidence in Been's ability to successfully manage the club. Been's subsequent sacking became global news, if only because reports of Been's firing quickly became a trending topic on Twitter, leaving people around the world to wonder who exactly Been was.

After Louis van Gaal turned down an offer to manage Feyenoord, the club approached former Barcelona defender Ronald Koeman, who had played for Feyenoord during the late 1990s. With his eventual hiring as manager, Koeman became the first to ever serve as both player and head coach at all teams of the so-called " traditional big three" of Dutch football: Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord. Moreover, he played and managed these teams in the same order.

At the beginning of the 2011–12 season, Feyenoord lost valuable players Leroy Fer, Georginio Wijnaldum and André Bahia to Twente, PSV and Samsunspor

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