Feyenoord-Ajax was stopped on Wednesday evening after Ajax player Davy Klaassen got an object on his head. Someone from the audience – only Feyenoord supporters are present in De Kuip – threw the object on the midfielder’s head. Klaassen then left the field with a bloody head, after which referee Allard Lindhout stopped the game. Ajax and Feyenoord compete for a place in the final of the cup tournament.
It was the second time that referee Lindhout stopped the game early. In the first minutes of the game, fireworks landed on the field, after which a large cloud of smoke left De Kuip. After a short delay, both teams were able to resume the match.
At the time of the strike, the team from Amsterdam was leading the game 1-2. Captain Dusan Tadic opened the score on behalf of Ajax in the fourteenth minute. Santiago Giménez equalized just before half-time. In the 51st minute it was Klaassen who gave Ajax the lead again. In an altercation that arose a little later, the midfielder was thrown an object on his head. That happened from a part of the stand that was not covered with nets.
Just after 10 p.m., both teams returned to the field. Klaassen’s return did not last long. He had to be replaced by Brian Brobbey, possibly due to the injuries to his head, under a lashing whistle concert.
Tension
Matches between Feyenoord and Ajax have been under high tension for years. No supporters of the visiting teams are welcome in either Amsterdam or Rotterdam. At the previous match in De Kuip, nets were hung in front of all stands to prevent objects from ending up on the field.
Things also regularly go wrong in other Eredivisie matches this season: on Saturday, the game between AZ and sc Heerenveen was halted after Frisian supporters threw fireworks on the field. The many disturbances raise the question of whether municipalities and the KNVB should not keep away supporters from stadiums from now on.