Hooliganism in Dutch football must be tackled now
Apart from the fact that Dutch giants Ajax have had a humbling season, the big news from the Eredivisie this season is the sad recurrence of acts of hooliganism, which have marred a number of top games. Most recently, a game pitting Groningen against Ajax had to be stopped early after crowd trouble ended in smoke bombs being thrown onto the pitch and a fan ran onto the pitch with a placard calling for Groningen’s board’s resignation.
Growing concern
That was just one scenario. This has happened a number of times in recent matches and it is a growing concern that the Dutch football management and police have to deal with. In the Dutch Cup semi final match in April, pitting Ajax against Feyenoord, there was another such occurrence, and that didn’t end well as a projectile from the crowd hit Ajax player Davy Klaassen, leaving him with a cut in the head. The rules set for dealing with such incidents have clearly proven ineffective and firmer action may now be necessary. Ajax have been unfortunate to experience such incidents more than once this season but they aren’t the only victims. One would argue that the Dutch giants have been a little unsettled by such but it hasn’t been a good season for them and they are at risk of even missing Champions League football next season. With two matches to go and being five points out, Ajax finishing out of the top two is a top bet that can be utilized to complement TOTO’s Netherlands top promotions and offers which are explained in detail on SportyTrader.
Recent interventions
In one of the recent interventions, the Dutch FA directed that football games would be stopped temporarily in the event that a player, or official is hit by something from the crowd. The rule further indicates that there would be a temporary stoppage if an object from the crowd lands on the field of play even if it does not hit anybody. A repeat incident of a projectile landing on the pitch will mean the game is stopped fully. Fights in the stands and outside the stadium, players hit by beer bottles and more of such acts are slowly becoming common in Dutch football but repeated incidents in the top league is a key concern. In the past years, the Dutch FA has handed stadium bans to fans found culpable but these measures, some quarters say, must be extended to include fans. Similar incidents after the covid lockdowns saw 34 Dutch clubs and supporter groups sign and issue a joint statement. This remains one of the best ways to deal with the menace, otherwise more days of unwanted reports from Dutch football await. Recent arrests after chanting songs and using anti-semitic signage has also proven positive but a lot of work needs to be done for the long term success considering young children are now going to the stadium more frequently and learning from the ultras.
