The court ultimately agreed to a lower sentence: six weeks in prison, of which four weeks were conditional. Because both suspects have already spent 13 days in pre-trial detention, they still have to serve one day of their prison sentence. In addition, they are sentenced to 120 hours of community service and must pay 500 euros in compensation.
According to the Public Prosecution Service (OM), disturbances occurred in the Volendam stadium after the match when a group of Ajax supporters sought a confrontation with Groningen supporters.
The Mobile Unit had to be deployed to keep both groups apart. Several Ajax supporters reportedly threw stones and bottles at police officers. Eventually police arrested four peopletwo of whom had to appear in court today.
According to the Public Prosecution Service, camera images and statements from police officers and witnesses showed that stones and bottles had been thrown at the police. After being confronted with the evidence, the suspects admitted to doing so.
Misunderstanding
The Public Prosecution Service calls the violence ‘serious’. According to the judiciary, the actions were aimed at police officers responsible for security around the play-off match. Both suspects are said to have sought confrontation with both FC Groningen supporters and the police without any reason, while ‘Ajax left the field as the winner’.
“There is a lot of misunderstanding for the behavior of the Ajax fans. Within the police, but also within the Volendam community and in the rest of the Netherlands,” said the public prosecutor. According to the justice department, throwing objects would have created ‘a real risk of serious injury’.