Drop the word “truce” in the field hockey world and thoughts quickly go back to the indoor match between Bloemendaal and Laren (4-3), more than three years ago. In the last minute and a half both teams deliberately did nothing more, to avoid relegation. Ring Pass was the victim and relegated from the big league. Bastiaan van Veelen, then coach of Laren, now looks at himself in the mirror. “I regret how I
behaved toward Ring Pass.
Last Monday evening, Van Veelen was sitting behind his laptop, scrolling through LinkedIn, when he clicked on the profile of Marc van Geest, then coach of Ring Pass. Never had he apologized to him. Never had there been any real conversation at all. That was eating away at him. After years of silence, he finally decided to break the silence: he sent Van Geest a message.
‘I was responsible for what happened inside the bars,’ Van Veelen read from the message, in which he guiltily examined his own part. ‘I should have guided our girls better in the last minute and a half of the game. But even more important I think is how I acted towards you guys after the game. I should have contacted you. I should have started the conversation, but instead I avoided you. I did not know how to behave. I can imagine that it came across as if I had shit on you. I showed you too little respect.
Armistice of a minute and a half
Back to January 30, 2022, the day of the nacompetition of the Hoofdklasse Zaal. In Sportcampus Zuiderpark in The Hague, Laren scored the liberating tying goal against Bloemendaal just before time: the 4-3. With this score both Laren and Bloemendaal maintained themselves in the big league. The last minute and a half ticked away as both teams chose to do nothing more. On the center line, a Bloemendaal player fiddled with the ball, but did not pass. Laren watched, without putting pressure. Here and there laughter could be heard on the pitch. Everything took place right in front of the eyes of the Ring Pass players, who watched the scene from the stands, stunned and boiling with anger.
Images of the cease-fire went viral on the Internet. National media, including De Telegraaf and the AD, jumped on it en masse. On social media the reactions did not lie: the actions of Laren and Bloemendaal were labeled as very unsportsmanlike. Ring Pass did not leave it at that and submitted the case to the Institute for Sport Law (ISR), which started an investigation. Not only was it investigated whether the teams had made prior arrangements, but also whether unusual bets on the game had been made at betting shops. After extensive investigation, the conclusion was crystal clear: both teams were cleared of match-fixing. With that, the case could finally rest. At least, on paper.
Emotionally, it was more complicated. A week and a half ago, more than three years after the incident, Van Veelen unexpectedly returned to it. On his LinkedIn profile, he published an extensive article honestly reflecting on his own part in everything that happened. The first article was followed a week later by part two. On Thursday, the concluding third part appeared.
Bloemendaal and Ring Pass hold a truce. Photo: Koen Suyk
I brushed him off. I responded gruffly and walked on quickly. I regretted that. I didn’t know how to handle the situation. Bastiaan van Veelen
Ripping open the wound again three years after the fact and rekindling the discussion; why does he do it anyway? ‘Occasionally I write personal stories on LinkedIn. About this issue I had never shared anything. Not about the run-up to the race, not about what was coming at us in the days and weeks that followed. While I learned SO much from this experience. If I could do it all over again, I would do it differently. I wanted to correct my mistakes.
To be clear: the thrust of his articles is not that Laren should have gone on the attack after all, risking a goal against and relegation. ‘Top sport is ultimately about results. I still believe that.’ However, he does realize by now that he should have handled the situation differently. First of all, I should have encouraged my players to stay focused and take an active attitude. But my biggest mistake was that I never contacted Ring Pass afterwards.’
Van Veelen – who shared the responsibility of coaching with Maarten Bosman – remembers Van Geest addressing him in the catacombs afterwards. ‘Marc was very calm and professional. But I brushed him off. I responded gruffly and walked on quickly. I regretted that. I didn’t know how to handle the situation. I was uncomfortable and wanted to leave as soon as possible. In retrospect, I realize how disrespectful that was. I should have shown more understanding and empathy.’
Ring Pass players look on in frustration. Photo: Koen Suyk
It wasn’t up to me to say anything about Ring Pass. To them that must have sounded like pure arrogance. Bastiaan van Veelen
He is especially ashamed of one statement he made in an interview after the game: ‘If the Ring Pass players had been in our shoes, they probably would have done the same thing.’ He calls it his biggest mistake in the affair. ‘It was not up to me to say anything about Ring Pass. In retrospect, I see that as a weakness. To Ring Pass that must have sounded like pure arrogance. I should have kept it to myself.’
Van Veelen knows he cannot turn back the past. But what he can do is take responsibility for how things went, he says. ‘I can imagine that the girls of Ring Pass experienced this as very intense. Not being heard and not being seen, that is perhaps the most painful thing there is. I showed Ring Pass too little respect. I regret how I reacted.’
by Hockey.nl
