KNVB will not longer stop matches if players or referees get hit by thrown object

Professional football matches in the coming season in the Netherlands will not be immediately and permanently halted if a player or referee is struck by an object thrown from the crowd. "The match doesn't need to be stopped if the offender is immediately apprehended and if the player or referee hasn't suffered any injuries," said KNVB referee coordinator Dick van Egmond.

In April, Dutch Football Association KNVB tightened its regulations regarding fan interference in matches and required referees to immediately suspend matches if an object thrown by spectators struck a player or referee or if objects landed on the field. If such incidents repeated, the matches were to be permanently stopped.

This decision came after Ajax player Davy Klaassen suffered a head injury from an object thrown by a Feyenoord supporter. In May, the match between FC Groningen and Ajax in the Eredivisie was permanently stopped after FC Groningen fans threw firecrackers onto the field. A supporter also ran onto the field with a banner.

"We've adjusted that rule a bit," Van Egmond explained at the annual referees' meeting for the new season. "However, if there's an injury or the perpetrator isn't caught, we will still stop the match permanently. The same applies if players or coaches are attacked by fans,” he stated

Mayors can still request the KNVB not to stop matches. "This can occur if they believe that halting matches might have significant repercussions on security inside and outside the stadium," Van Egmond said. "But we'll never continue playing if referees or assistant referees don't feel safe. Throwing objects onto the field is unacceptable in football. It's also absurd that cameramen and photographers are being targeted."

The new season kicks off on Friday with one match in the Eredivisie and six in the Eerste Divisie, the second-highest football division in the Netherlands.