Northern Ireland supporters' chief said the scenes outside the stadium "were not only chaotic" but also "had the potential to become much more serious"
Tuesday 15 October 2019 17:52, UK
The Dutch FA is investigating claims Northern Ireland fans faced "dangerous" conditions as they entered the De Kuip Stadium in Rotterdam on Thursday.
Northern Ireland were beaten 3-1 by the Netherlands with stoppage-time goals from Memphis Depay and Luuk de Jong leaving their chances of Euro 2020 qualification in the balance.
But many members of the travelling support were unable to watch part of the first half due to crowding issues in the away end - which was met with criticism from a Northern Ireland supporters' spokesman.
A spokesperson for the Dutch FA, responding to the allegations, said: "We take this very seriously.
"We will start an investigation to find out what exactly happened."
Gary McAllister, chairman of The Amalgamation of Official Northern Ireland Supporters' Clubs, issued a statement criticising the planning at the stadium.
"The scenes outside the stadium on Thursday night were not only chaotic, they were dangerous and had the potential to become much more serious," he said.
"Fans were directed to the wrong entrance by stewards who appeared ill-informed. After queuing for some time, they were then sent to another set of turnstiles at a different part of the stadium.
"This led to several hundred fans being crowded into a confined area, which caused considerable anxiety.
"There were also issues with the scanning of tickets, which added to the problem. This was not a case of fans arriving late at the stadium, as many people were there more than an hour before kick-off.
"I have contacted the Irish Football Association and asked that an official complaint is made to the KNVB (Royal Dutch Football Federation). We will also be working with our colleagues in the Football Supporters Europe network to raise the issue with UEFA."
De Kuip has been Feyenoord's home since 1937 but will be converted into an athletics stadium when the Dutch club move into a new ground, which is planned for completion in 2022.
