Three professional football matches were halted for some time on Friday evening because drinking cups were thrown onto the field from the public. All three games were resumed and completed after a short break. It concerns the Eredivisie match FC Twente – NEC, and the matches FC Eindhoven – Helmond Sport and FC Den Bosch – Almere City in the Kitchen Champion Division.
In all three cases, the cups were thrown by supporters celebrating a goal by their club. For example, supporters of FC Twente threw a drinking cup on the field after the club from Enschede had come 2-0. Both teams were temporarily taken off the field during the FC Den Bosch match against Almere City.
After Ajax player Davy Klaassen was hit by an object from the audience during the cup match between Ajax and Feyenoord last month, the KNVB football association has tightened the guidelines. A match must be stopped if an object is thrown from the audience, even if it concerns one cup. In case of repetition, a match will be stopped. A match is immediately stopped if a player or referee is hit by an object.
Since the introduction of the rules, several matches have been stopped because objects were thrown from the audience. Stopped matches are then played at a later time, without the presence of supporters.
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