Amsterdam mayor urges Justice Ministry to investigate fireworks chaos at Ajax match

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema has requested the Ministry of Justice and Security to investigate the fireworks incident during the match between Ajax and FC Groningen. She said this in response to questions from the city council.

The Football and Safety Audit Team, an independent advisory body of the ministry, is currently investigating how football-related violence is managed in the Netherlands. Mayor Halsema has requested that the Johan Cruijff Arena incident be included to clarify exactly what took place.

On Thursday, Mayor Halsema answered council questions regarding the fireworks incident last Sunday at the F-Side, which led to the match being abandoned, and then played without any supporters. She described the violence as “shameful and extremely serious,” adding, “It’s awful, especially for football and for all the fans who were able to attend.”

Ajax reported that a large group of individuals gained entry by forcing open an emergency door. PvdA councilor Mohamed Belkasmi proposed imposing a lifetime stadium ban on the rioters. Mayor Halsema said she expects most of those involved were already banned from stadiums, as they would have entered normally otherwise, and stressed that such behavior must carry “serious consequences.”

VVD councilor Daan Wijnants questioned why the match was not canceled beforehand. Mayor Halsema said this issue should be included in the investigation. She explained that authorities had weighed measures for de-escalation and escalation ahead of the game, but there was hope, “and it’s debatable whether that hope was wise”, that events would not spiral in this way. “In all the years I’ve observed these matches, I’ve never seen anything on this scale,” she added.

Halsema also stated that Ajax and the Johan Cruijff Arena are currently working on an action plan, looking at additional measures during football matches. And we are also waiting for any additional measures from the KNVB.” Ajax have already announced that F-Side section will remain empty for the grudge match against Feyenoord.

Mayor Halsema noted that such incidents make it increasingly difficult for football clubs to manage violence on their own, as stewards are not adequately trained.
“Clubs will need to hire more professionally trained security staff. I can imagine exploring, together with the national government, whether support could be provided to enhance security levels,” she said.

At the same time, she emphasized that the interior of the stadium should not fall under police control. “It wasn’t, and it shouldn’t be. The police operate outside the stadium,” Halsema added.

According to Halsema, Ajax plans to press charges and is currently working on identifying the perpetrators. The club announced on Tuesday that the first suspects have been identified, though it has not yet disclosed whether charges will be pressed. Police confirmed on Thursday that no arrests have been made at this stage.

The Johan Cruijff Arena is directing media inquiries to Ajax, but director Tanja Dik stated that “we are still working to get a complete overview of the situation.” She added, “We want to do everything we can to ensure this does not happen again.”