"In the wake of Sunday’s events, De Graafschap has decided not to allow supporters to travel to away matches until March 31st, 2027. Should it transpire that all those involved have received individual sanctions, we may reconsider this decision," the club said in a statement.
"We realise that this is a very far-reaching decision, particularly for the many loyal supporters who support our club in a positive and dignified manner at every away match and who had nothing to do with Sunday’s events. They, too, are affected by this measure. We regret this."
After local authorities in Arnhem barred De Graafschap fans from attending their club's away game at Vitesse on Saturday evening, De Graafschap fans responded by blocking the team bus and locking the stadium gates on Sunday, the day of the game.
The match was called off by the Dutch football association (KNVB), which harshly criticised the fans' actions: "People are entitled to agree or disagree with something, but this really goes far too far. We need to put a stop to this. We’ve seen a lot of crazy things in the past, but this is mad," Competitions Manager Jan Bluyssen said.
Unjustifiable
De Graafschap expect the KNVB to hit the club with further sanctions.
"We understand that supporters wish to express their dissatisfaction. However, the manner in which this took place on Sunday cannot be justified in any way," the club continued in its statement.
"By blocking the access points, the team bus was prevented from leaving the grounds. This not only made it impossible to play an official league match, but also constituted an unacceptable infringement of the personal freedom of our own staff. However great the disappointment or anger may be, it can never justify treating our own club, its staff and the many people who support De Graafschap in this way.
"What happened on Sunday is unacceptable, should not have happened and must never happen again."
The Eerste Divisie match between Vitesse and De Graafschap has been rescheduled to Monday, November 23rd.
Nederländerna:Eerste Divisie - Omgång 14|Vitesse – De Graafschap
