A large group of Ajax supporters gathered on the Leidseplein in Amsterdam on Wednesday afternoon, prior to the match that Ajax can make national champions. Several hundred members of the club’s hard core sang club songs and set off fireworks. There were also torches, flags and smoke bombs on display. Among other things, a parasol caught fire.
The party was over by 5.30pm. The fans left the square singing loudly towards Leidsestraat. In a large procession, the journey to the Johan Cruijff ArenA was started, where the championship match will be played against Heerenveen on Wednesday evening.
The police, who are present in large numbers, remain at a distance around the square. During the afternoon, vans from the Mobile Unit also arrived and police on horseback are standing in the nearby Leidsestraat.
Leidseplein, together with Rembrandtplein, has been designated as a safety risk area, as has the surroundings of the Johan Cruijff ArenA. That applies until 2 a.m. Anyone in those areas can be searched as a precaution.
Mayor Femke Halsema of Amsterdam has decided this in consultation with the Public Prosecution Service and the police. They already took into account groups of supporters who would go to the city center and the area around the ArenA, where there is a risk of major public disorder.
Ajax will play the championship match against Heerenveen in the Johan Cruijff ArenA on Wednesday evening at 8 p.m. If the team from Amsterdam win the 36th national title, there will be a tribute in the stadium immediately after the game.