Ajax has refrained from taking legal action against the KNVB in the matter of making up the match against Feyenoord that was canceled on Sunday. The football association wants to catch up on the remainder of the Classic on Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m. and move the match between Ajax and FC Volendam – which was initially scheduled for Wednesday. Ajax considered litigating against that decision, but decided against it announced on Tuesday that he would resign at the situation. Ajax states that it has consulted with FC Volendam in advance.
Also read: If one match comes to symbolize the existential crisis in which Ajax finds itself, it is this Classic – report of a shocking afternoon in Amsterdam
This means there is a good chance that Ajax – Feyenoord can resume on Wednesday afternoon in the Johan Cruijff Arena. FC Volendam, which previously reacted angrily to the decision to move the match, can still challenge the decision, but has announced that it will not do so “in the overall interests of the Eredivisie”. A new date for the match between Ajax and FC Volendam has not yet been announced.
FC Volendam had previously informed the KNVB that it did not agree with the adjustments to the schedule. FC Volendam is shared last in the Eredivisie with one point. Ajax is three places higher and is in a sporting and administrative malaise. The people of Volendam hoped to benefit from this.
On Sunday, the arbitration brought an early end to Ajax – Feyenoord after ten minutes in the second half. At that moment it was 0-3 for the Rotterdam team. After first an empty cup and then twice fireworks landed on the field, the match was permanently stopped. The stands emptied, after which the main entrance was stormed and the area turned into a battlefield. Hooligans destroyed the entrance and clashed with police, who made fifteen arrests.
Local authority
Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema called it an “embarrassing” afternoon. Halsema expressed in News hour strong criticism of Ajax’s safety policy. She believes that Amsterdam residents should have done much more in advance, for example by searching more intensively. Halsema also advocates nets for Ajax’s hard core or, if necessary, keeping the box empty. If Ajax itself does not intervene, the municipality can enforce this itself by tightening the licensing conditions for a match.
Sunday’s match marked a poor season for Ajax so far. The club only achieved five points and is now ten points behind leaders PSV and AZ. Critics blame the poor performance on the quality of the selection. Last summer, more than a hundred million was spent on relatively unknown new players. None of the purchases have made much of an impression so far. On Sunday evening, Ajax announced that it would dismiss technical director Sven Mislintat, the man responsible for the purchasing and sales policy.