May 15 – On the weekend that Feyenoord clinched the Eredivisie league title, the Groningen vs Ajax tie had to be suspended after nine minutes fater fans let off of flares and fireworks.
Last week, Groningen were relegated from the Eredivisie for the first time in 23 years after a 1-1 draw with Go Ahead Eagles and locals fans responded this week with a pitch invasion minutes after kick-off against Ajax.
In the sixth minute, smoke bombs were thrown on to the field and then a supporter ran on to the pitch with a banner calling for the removal of the Groningen board, forcing the referee take the two teams off the pitch as police and security tried to maintain control.
Referee Jeroen Manschot tried to restart the match after 15 minutes but trouble flared again, forcing both teams to retire and the game to be abandoned in accordance with new guidelines that the Dutch FA (KNVB) brought in to address the growing fan disruption and violence in Dutch stadiums.
“They were serious smoke bombs and not just a beer, as we have seen lately,” said Manschot. “We went out again quite quickly in the hope of regaining peace. But then it happened again very quickly.”
Some players tried to convince the referee to allow the match to proceed.
“I understand that, those guys want to play football,” said Manschot. “Of course, I also want to continue, I also drove here for two hours. But it’s clear. We have agreed on this.”
In the Dutch Cup semi-final between Feyenoord and Ajax Amsterdam in April Ajax midfielder Davy Klaasen was hit by a cigarette lighter thrown from the stands. The match was delayed but the KNVB decided that in the future matches would be suspended following such incidents.
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