When analyzing the refereeing appointments in a matchday programme, the surrounding statistics often tell you exactly what the home fans are afraid of. On page 21 of the March 2014 edition, the “Arbitraal Kwartet” block introduces the officials tasked with managing the northern derby: main referee Kevin Blom, assistants Rob van de Ven and Charl Schaap, and fourth official Siemen Mulder. But right next to the profile of Blom—who was officiating his 16th match at the Euroborg—sits a text block that highlights a terrifying vulnerability in the FC Groningen defense.

Under the headline “ACHT STRAFSCHOPPEN TEGEN: ZEVEN RAAK” (Eight penalties against: seven hits), the programme details a bizarre and painful statistical curse. The text notes that in their last 25 matches, Groningen had conceded eight penalties. But the historical context provided is even more staggering: “The fifteen previous penalties against FC Groningen in the Eredivisie were converted without exception.” For years, if a referee pointed to the spot against Groningen, it was an automatic goal.

The curse was only recently, and barely, broken. The text explains that goalkeeper Marco Bizot finally saw a penalty missed when Steve De Ridder of FC Utrecht smashed his spot-kick against the crossbar. However, to find the last time a Groningen goalkeeper actually saved a penalty, fans had to look all the way back to December 8, 2012, when the flamboyant Brazilian keeper Luciano da Silva stopped a penalty from Ajax‘s Siem de Jong at the Amsterdam ArenA. With Kevin Blom—a referee known for making big calls—in charge of the upcoming derby against Cambuur, and Siemen Mulder managing the touchlines, this printed reminder of the club’s penalty-box fragility added a massive layer of anxiety for the home crowd.

A Look into the Future

The anxiety was entirely justified. In the very match this programme was printed for, FC Groningen conceded yet another penalty against SC Cambuur, which was successfully converted, resulting in a 1-1 draw. The “penalty curse” remained a psychological hurdle for the club’s goalkeepers for quite some time. However, Marco Bizot would eventually overcome these early-career statistical quirks, developing into one of the most reliable penalty-stoppers in the Eredivisie during his later, highly successful stint with AZ Alkmaar. But in 2014, facing a penalty at the Euroborg was still a guaranteed nightmare.