Man who threw lighter wounding Ajax footballer gets community service

A 32-year-old man from Roelofarendsveen was convicted on Monday of assault for throwing a lighter at Ajax player Davy Klaassen. The police judge in Dordrecht sentenced him to 60 hours of community service order, half of which was conditionally suspended, and a probationary period of two years.

The incident happened at the beginning of last month during the semi-final of the KNVB Cup between Feyenoord and Ajax in De Kuip, Feyenoord's stadium in Rotterdam. The lighter was thrown from the stands and struck Klaassen's head causing a gash on the back of his head. Play was suspended for about 30 minutes, and the footballer was substituted out shortly after the match resumed due to dizziness.

The judge referred to the suspect as a fanatical Feyenoord supporter with a clean criminal record. He confessed that he threw the lighter. In his own words, he did this partly out of fatigue due to work, and partly out of frustration because of past family problems. He called it "a fit of mental bewilderment" and he also said it was like he was "short circuiting." He is now being treated for his "frustrations," he said. "This has been a really harsh reality check."

Shortly after throwing the lighter, the man said he had a feeling of euphoria, encouraged by those around him in the stands. "The feeling of euphoria was quickly gone after that," he said. The suspect said he was sorry. "If I could have taken it back, I would have gladly done so."

The suspect and his family had to go into hiding after the arrest because of threats. Those threats came from both Feyenoord and Ajax supporters.

The sentence is slightly less than the prosecutor had demanded. When imposing the sentence, the judge took into account several factors, including the personal circumstances of the suspect, the threats against him, and threats against his family. He has already been banned from the stadium for nine years by the KNVB, the Dutch football association.

As a result of the incident, the KNVB has introduced stricter rules for football matches.