FC Twente bans staff from VoetbalTijd after Erik ten Hag clash

FC Twente announced that every member of its personnel – from players and technical staff to board members and the canteen lady – is no longer permitted to appear on the regional programme VoetbalTijd, broadcast by 1Twente. The club said the decision follows a dispute involving technical director Erik ten Hag. It marks a total boycott of the weekly talkshow.

Total staff barred from VoetbalTijd

The ban applies to all categories of staff, meaning no player, coach, director or support worker may take part in the show. FC Twente’s statement stressed that the programme “tells lies or untruths”, and therefore the club will not allow any representative to sit in front of the camera.

VoetbalTijd features a regular segment where analyst and former case manager René Wagelaar offers his opinion. Each week his analysis focuses on FC Twente and Heracles Almelo, providing a platform for criticism and discussion of the two clubs.

Wagelaar demands Erik ten Hag to appear

Wagelaar expressed fury at the ban, saying: “It is obviously very weak that they do not come. I stand behind everything I say here. I want a hearing and a response. I want Erik ten Hag (technical director) and Dominique Scholten (general director) to sit here so I can tell my story and they can reply. This back‑and‑forth is pointless.”

He recalled that he had already asked Ten Hag last season, on the away stand during a match against AZ, to join his opinion show. “It was end of May and I said: ‘Will you come to VoetbalTijd?’ You get a quarter‑hour story but no answer. He wanted to stay away then, and now he does not come either. What a massive slacker, Erik ten Hag! He has worked at Manchester United, Bayer Leverkusen and Ajax. He should sit here and I can hit him with facts. Because I tell the truth, they cannot do anything. I will hit them with facts. I know it’s true. I tell no lies.”

Wagelaar also said he was harshly treated for criticising certain players. “One and a half years ago I started criticising Michel Vlap. They then got in contact with us and called it a witch‑hunt. After that it gradually decreased. Every week there was something they did not like about the programme and it had to be changed. Later the criticism turned to Rots. They said that could not happen either.”

FC Twente reiterated that it will continue to keep its staff away from VoetbalTijd until it is satisfied that the programme presents factual, unbiased content. The club has not indicated any timeline for a possible reversal of the ban.

The situation underscores a growing tension between the club’s hierarchy and an outspoken analyst who feels his voice is being silenced. For now, all Twente personnel will stay clear of the regional talkshow.