The professional football prosecutor is investigating the match between Willem II and FC Den Bosch in the Kitchen Champion Division. The game was halted for almost 1.5 hours in Tilburg on Friday due to unrest in the stands. Referee Martin Pérez had sent the players to the dressing rooms after more than fifteen minutes of play, after a piece of fireworks was thrown on the field.
Before that, it was already restless in and around the King Willem II stadium. When the FC Den Bosch players celebrated their early opening goal with their supporters in the away section in the corner of the stadium, plastic cups of beer were thrown at the football players from other sections. One cup landed on Danny Verbeek’s head.
Riots broke out in the stands. For example, supporters of FC Den Bosch tried to get out of their profession to enter into a confrontation with supporters of Willem II. After Pérez withdrew the game, the authorities decided to clear the box. Only when all Den Bosch fans had left did the match continue. The visiting team won 2-1.
“In such incidents, it is customary to go in once and then come out again,” said a spokesperson for the KNVB. “If it happens again, the game could be stopped. Now only one has entered the house and waited for the intervention of the police.”
As usual with games that have been shut down, the prosecutor is investigating. He requests statements from the referee and the clubs. Based on this, the prosecutor decides whether to impose penalties. FC Den Bosch has already decided not to take fans to away games for the time being.