By Geraldine Coughlan At Feyenoord 5-1 Willem II (Rotterdam, 26 October 2002)

Were there racist chants at the game?
I wondered if insults would be hurled at Willem II's Tarik Sektioui, because the home fans are known for targeting Turkish and Moroccan players.

But at this game, they seemed more intent on cheering five goals.

Ratio between racial groups in the stands and on the pitch?
There was an interesting ethnic mix on the pitch - two black players on each side and 13 nationalities altogether, including Japanese, Ghanaian, Gambian, Australian and Russian.

What did strike me was that ethnic groups were poorly represented in the stadium.

Feyenoord supporters traditionally are white Dutch people, and there was probably less than 1% of the crowd that were not white.

Any racist banners, flags or graffiti in the ground or surrounding streets?
There were no racist banners or graffiti in the stadium or the surrounding streets.

Feyenoord fans insist they are not racist

And before the game, a 'Watch Your Language' campaign organised by the supporters saw flags and postcards handed out, urging fans to think twice before they shout.

Were non-white players targeted by sections of the crowd?
I didn't hear any, but that may have been because they were drowned out by loud singing.

Was there any visible anti-racist action from the club or police?
There was no visible presence of anti-racist action from the police or club officials at the game. But there were plenty of surly stewards swarming in the stands poised to pounce on any supporters engaged in anti-social behaviour.

Any other comments?
Some of the Feyenoord fans told me they regard racism in football as a simple reflection of wider discrimination in society.

They see Britain as having a much worse problem and insist black people are generally well accepted in the Netherlands.

At no time did I feel threatened in what was at times a euphoric atmosphere.

But would it have been the same if the match had not gone so well for Feyenoord?