Police release Feyenoord fan who threw object at Ajax footballer; Banned from all stadiums

The 32-year-old man accused of throwing an object that struck Ajax midfielder Davy Klaassen in the head was released from custody, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said on Friday. He has been banned from all stadiums in the Netherlands when a professional football match is to be played there. He is prohibited from being in a stadium from two hours before the start of a match to two hours after a match ends.

Schandalig: de wedstrijd tussen Feyenoord en Ajax is gestaakt nadat Davy Klaassen is geraakt door een aansteker uit het publiek. pic.twitter.com/4Lp4hSlJQ3

— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) April 5, 2023

Though he was released from custody for now, the man will have to appear before a police judge on charges of assault. During the Feyenoord - Ajax football match earlier this week, an object believed to be a cigarette lighter was thrown from the stands, striking Klaassen on the back of the head minutes after he scored the go-ahead goal that led to the Amsterdam team’s 2-1 victory.

Klaassen was seen bleeding extensively from the head wound, and the teams walked off the pitch. Klaassen was substituted out of the match several minutes after play resumed after the 30 minute emergency intermission. The suspect arrested for throwing the item was arrested during the match.

He was one of the 22 people arrested around the match on Wednesday. Including the Roelofarendsveen man, three suspects were still in police custody on Friday morning. The rest were sent away, the police said.

The other people who were still in custody are suspected of involvement in fights. The people who have been released may still have to face a court hearing later, the police said.

The detainees are suspected of various matters, including assault, insult or defamation, discrimination, throwing fireworks, throwing other objects and failure to show proof of identification.

Feyenoord previously said it identified 25 spectators who took part in the violence and misbehavior during the Dutch Cup semifinal match at De Kuip in Rotterdam. Three of them violated the house rules of the Rotterdam club, but have not been arrested. It is not yet clear whether any or all of them will be banned from the football stadium.

Immediately after kick-off, the semifinal match was stopped because fireworks, flares and smoke bombs were ignited behind one of the goals, shrouding entire sections of the stadium in thick black smoke. Beer cups and lighters were also thrown during the match.