Man arrested over violent assault with bike chain after Morocco-Oranje World Cup match
Amsterdam Police have announced the arrest of a 20-year-old man from Amsterdam who had been filmed committing a violent assault with a bike chain following the 2026 World Cup match where Morocco eliminated the Netherlands on penalties. He is being held on suspicion of attempted manslaughter, De Telegraaf reported.
Aside from the bike chain attack, the police also tied this suspect to a violent street robbery that occurred right before the attack, as well as a separate assault just hours later.
The incident took place on Tuesday morning on the Van Woustraat in the Amsterdam-Zuid neighborhood, amid tensions following the football game.
According to video evidence widely circulated on platforms like Dumpert, the suspect first targeted a Dutch fan to steal his mobile phone, and then when the victim tried to pursue the suspect to retrieve his phone, two other men stepped in to kick and punch him.
A second Dutch supporter wearing an orange shirt stepped in to help the victim. A bystander blindsided this second Dutch supporter, hitting him on the back of the head. Immediately following this, the 20-year-old suspect viciously struck the orange-shirted supporter on his back with a large, heavy bicycle chain lock. The attackers then aggressively lunged toward another supporter before fleeing.
The assault was part of a brief wave of unrest in the area. A short time later, around 11:00 a.m., another assault took place on the nearby Van Ostadestraat. A 22-year-old Amsterdammer was arrested for that specific fight but has since been released from custody, though he remains a suspect.
Amsterdam detectives are actively seeking multiple remaining suspects captured in the videos. The police are searching for the specific man who initially hit the Dutch fan from behind and held him. He is described as having a light-tan complexion and short black hair. During the incident, he was wearing a black bodywarmer, a grey sweater, black pants, a black shoulder bag, and black slides.
Detectives are also looking for three other individuals involved in the violent street theft of the initial mobile phone.
