Arne Slot bid farewell to Feyenoord supporters following their penultimate home game of the season on Sunday, with emotional scenes as he prepares to depart.
Slot is due to take over as head coach of Liverpool at the end of the campaign, and will bring assistant Sipke Hulshoff, head of performance Ruben Peeters and technical advisor Etienne Reijnen with him.
With the most vocal sections of Feyenoord’s De Kuip closed for the final game of the season on May 19 due to sanctions from the Dutch FA, Sunday marked a big occasion.
After a 5-0 victory over PEC Zwolle, which came following the confirmation Feyenoord had finished second in the Eredivisie, supporters serenaded Slot and his staff.
https://t.co/VVldMpynN9 pic.twitter.com/Dy4ItwrUZG
— Feyenoord Rotterdam (@Feyenoord) May 5, 2024
Slot’s name was sung before, during and after the game, while post-match he led his players over to the supporters, blowing kisses, cupping his ears and leading them through more chants.
There was a rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone, as is customary at Feyenoord, while Hulshoff was also greeted with a chant of his own.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Slot admitted that the scenes “looked like” a farewell.
“But it also has to do with what we achieved here in the last three seasons,” he added.
“I think they liked what we saw in the last three seasons and also today.
“But with all the rumours in the media, I think they are expecting me to leave, that is something we could say!”
Slot added: “Now I got the credit, and my assistant Sipke Hulshoff, and that’s not fair to all of the others. All of the others are also very important.
“If you look at the availability of all the players we have every time, the fitness they have, then our medical department and our performance department should get a lot of credit as well.
“But you know how it is in football, it’s always the head coach.
“That’s the nice thing when things are going well; when it’s not that good, it’s also about you as a head coach.
De Kuip is al een minuut of 10 bezig met een eerbetoon aan Arne Slot, de trainer van Feyenoord die naar Liverpool vertrekt. #feypec pic.twitter.com/JXvqsw3nOY
— Tim Reedijk (@timreedijk) May 5, 2024
? | Mooie momenten in De Kuip!
In de slotfase en na afloop van het duel met PEC Zwolle (5-0) wordt trainer Arne #Slot massaal toegezongen en moet zelf ook een liedje zingen. #Feyenoord #feypec pic.twitter.com/hjzNzDQ2Dw— Dennis Kranenburg (@kranenburg1) May 5, 2024
“But I think the complete staff of Feyenoord and the players deserve a lot of credit for the way we performed here for the last three years.”
Slot is a beloved figure at Feyenoord, having led the club to the Eredivisie title as well as KNVB Cup success in his three seasons in charge, and that was reflected in the scenes of Sunday.
It bodes well for his next club that he has been able to forge such a strong bond with the Feyenoord supporters, with Liverpool fans valuing that connection with their managers.
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