Three Amsterdam metros trashed by Ajax fans prior to Ajax-AEK Athens match
Before the Ajax vs. AEK Athens Europa League match on Thursday evening, football supporters vandalized three metro cars, causing damage that included broken windows and harm to the doors and interiors. This was announced on Friday by a spokesperson for the Amsterdam city transport company GVB.
The metros were vandalized around 7:00 p.m. at Weesperplein station. Riot police intervened, and 140 Ajax supporters were arrested for public violence. Three GVB buses were used to transport the detainees. As of Friday, two people remained in custody, one for vandalism and the other for insult.
A GVB spokesperson told NL Times in a written statement that the destruction caused disruptions in metro service on Thursday night at Weesperplein station, where one of the damaged metros was located. This led the GVB to shorten and reroute lines, as well as cancel some services.
The total cost of the damage is still unknown, but the company plans to press charges, according to the spokesperson.
“That this happened is absurd. Football matches that attract a lot of people have to be held. That is part of a city like Amsterdam. But vandalism is not part of that,” the spokesperson said. “Do not damage our community's belongings. We all have to foot the bill again. It is a shame because that money could be better spent on other things for our community,” he concluded.
Mayor Femke Halsema commented on Thursday evening that the disturbances were “a blemish on an exciting football evening that Ajax fans enjoyed a lot.” She added that “too often, hard-core supporters are involved in public disturbances and committing violence. The [mayor, police, and prosecutor] take this seriously and will discuss it again with the club and the KNVB.”
