‘I won’t be forced’

It keeps people busy: the decision of some captains in the Eredivisie not to wear a rainbow band. At the table with Today Inside footballer Orkun Kökçü received support from Johan Derksen and Özcan Akyol. They understood that the Feyenoord captain refused to wear the special captain’s armband due to religious beliefs.

Derksen also questioned the usefulness of such a rainbow tire. “Do you think that this is how we solve the problems in the stadiums?”, Johan Derksen wondered in the broadcast. “Any sane person gets the message, but why does such a band have to confirm it? I miss that. I will not be forced to participate in it,” said Derksen about the football players who did not wear the band last football weekend.

For example, Feyenoord captain Orkun . refused Kökcu to wear a One Love captain’s armband because of Coming Out Day. The band stands for LGBTQ acceptance, but Kökcu said he didn’t feel comfortable with that because of his religious beliefs. Excelsior’s captain, Redouan El Yaakoubi, also refrained from wearing the band. It has caused a lot of fuss over the past few days and led to HLF8 last night even led to a heated discussion.

‘You must respect player’s religion’

The subject was broached after a few minutes last night at the Today Inside-table. Derksen thought that people were “talking about it” that Feyenoord should have forced its captain to wear the rainbow band. “Of course that is nonsense. You have to respect the religion of that player.”

Kökçü was not captain of his team for one time last weekend due to his refusal to wear the rainbow band. The rainbow belt therefore went to a fellow player who did want to wear the rainbow belt. But if it had been up to Derksen, Kökçü would have remained captain. “Because well, that boy is a Muslim, they do not accept that: homosexuality.”

Özcan Akyol: ‘They don’t even do that in Turkey’

Then Özcan Akyol joins the conversation. “What really disappointed me is that no one says they have a problem with a man dating a man. Or a woman with a woman. Everyone struggles not to say that,” said the writer.

The writer said about Kökçü that he is very religious. “He is on the field praying, they don’t even do that in Turkey. That guy is just very conservative. Liberal Muslims would just put that tape on.”

According to Derksen, you shouldn’t be surprised by this

Derksen then broadens the situation and makes a comparison with Denmark’s strict migration policy. “Eus, this is exactly the reason the Danes don’t let anyone in. They say we have our own culture. We have allowed people to ban our Zwarte Piet. We have admitted Muslims and now there is a mosque in every city.”

You can expect Muslims to practice their faith according to the rules, says Derksen. “Then you shouldn’t be surprised by something like that. But it does break in our culture. That is why the Danes say: we should not do that.”

Derksen and ‘Eus’ understand refusal

Akyol disagrees. Because according to him it is really not just about Muslims. The writer saw that Kökçü received ‘remarkably much’ support from his own supporters at Feyenoord. “They are not Muslims. I did not hear anyone shouting: bad action!”

Presenter Wilfred Genee then asked the gentlemen at the table whether they understand Kökçü’s decision not to walk with a rainbow around his arm. “Yes,” Derksen shouts. “Of course he also has to account for himself in Turkey.”

‘Eus’ also understands the action, although he himself would walk with a rainbow tire. “It was all over the Turkish media and they liked it there. Suppose he had put on that band and he has to report to the Turkish team later. Then he had no more life. Also in the neighborhood he would be ostracized.”

Watch last night’s episode of Today Inside here.

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