Feyenoord fans pack centre of Rotterdam to celebrate league title

ROTTERDAM : More than a hundred thousand Feyenoord fans gathered in the city centre of Rotterdam on Monday to celebrate their team's Dutch league title, the 16th in their history but only the fourth of the past 30 years.

Thousands of singing and dancing fans crowded the streets in front of the town hall early on Monday, hours before the team would appear on the balcony around noon local time (1000GMT).

"I have been here since 5.30, but I don't care," a fan told local TV station RTV Rijnmond. "Feyenoord is champion!"

Feyenoord clinched their first Eredivisie crown since 2017 on Sunday with an easy 3-0 win over Go Ahead Eagles, sparking wild celebrations in the port city, which lasted throughout the night.

The city planned the official celebrations at midday on Monday in an effort to avoid the riots that erupted from similar celebrations in the past.

Streets in front of the town hall were closed off when they reached capacity hours before the ceremony to avoid overcrowding, while alcohol was banned and police searched fans for fireworks.

Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb said the festivities on Sunday evening had passed without major incidents, even though more than a hundred people were arrested for vandalism, open drunkenness and assaulting the police.