In the previous matchday programme, we marveled at a statistical anomaly that seemed impossible in modern football: FC Groningen had received at least one card in 71 consecutive league matches. Two weeks later, on page 21 of the December 22 edition against NEC Nijmegen, the editors of the programme gleefully updated the counter. The streak was still alive, and it had reached 73.
The text under “SERIE VAN 73 DUELS MET KAARTEN” explains how the streak survived the recent away trip to Rotterdam. “Against Feyenoord, Stefano Magnasco received the only yellow card of the afternoon on behalf of FC Groningen. Because of this, a streak remains intact of 73 league matches in a row…” For the Chilean right-back, it was his 6th yellow card of the season, a testament to the combative, uncompromising style the team deployed.
What makes this update even more amusing is the profile of the referee printed right next to it. Ed Janssen was appointed to officiate the match against NEC. He was stepping onto the pitch of the Euroborg knowing full well that he was refereeing a team that had not finished a league game with a clean disciplinary record in nearly two and a half years. The pressure to keep his cards in his pocket must have been immense, but history suggested he would inevitably have to reach for his notebook.
A Look into the Future
The legendary card streak of the early 2010s eventually became a quirky footnote in the club’s history. As the squad matured and manager Erwin van de Looi implemented a more structured defensive system, the reckless fouls that fueled this 73-match run were gradually phased out. Stefano Magnasco, the man who kept the streak alive in De Kuip, eventually returned to South America, having left his mark as a fierce, tenacious defender in the Eredivisie. But this printed update remains a hilarious monument to the era when Groningen was the undisputed bad boy of Dutch football.