Abandoned Ajax Amsterdam v Feyenoord match set to resume on Wednesday
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The main entrance of Johan Cruyff Arena after destruction by hooligans.
PHOTO: REUTERS
AMSTERDAM – The remaining 34 minutes of the Dutch Eredivisie “Klassieker” between Ajax Amsterdam and Feyenoord will be played on Wednesday behind closed doors, the Dutch football federation (KNVB) said, after the referee abandoned last weekend’s match due to flares fired onto the pitch.
The KNVB said it had been guided by the principle that in view of fairness, “a match should preferably be decided on the field... (and if not) the match must then be resumed as soon as possible”.
Dutch giants Ajax were 3-0 down after 56 minutes on Sunday, as their bitter rivals from Rotterdam humiliated them in front of their home fans, taking a three-goal first-half lead.
Some hardcore Ajax fans lobbed flares onto the turf at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam.
The game had already been suspended twice and the referee had no choice but to abandon the match.
The violence spilled out of the ground, as furious home supporters smashed the entrance to the stadium and fought running battles with mounted police armed with tear gas to disperse the crowd.
The rescheduling of the match sparked immediate anger from Ajax and Volendam, who were supposed to be playing Ajax on Wednesday. That game is now postponed to a later date.
“Ajax does not agree with this,” the club said, suggesting that the match be moved to the first week of November.
“Not only the clubs, but also the supporters are victims of this (rescheduling). That is why Ajax is considering legal action.”
For their part, Volendam declared themselves “surprised” by the decision and also said they were considering their legal options.
Sunday’s ugly scenes represented a new low in the crisis suffered by Ajax, with the four-time European Cup winners struggling both on and off the field.
They finished third last season and failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 13 seasons.
With only five points from four games, the 36-time Dutch champions are also having their worst start to an Eredivisie season in 59 years.
Reports of a power struggle in the boardroom have been all over the Dutch press, and the crowd had barely been cleared from the ground before Ajax sacked their director of football Sven Mislintat.
He had been under investigation for a potential conflict of interest involving a summer signing, but the club justified the sacking by saying Mislintat had a “lack of broad support within the organisation”. REUTERS, AFP
