Recap: Ajax vs Marseille 3:3/Sport1
The big Clasiker between Ajax and Feyenoord at the Johan Cruyff Arena was halted Sunday night in the 56th minute after the hosts' fans threw firecrackers and fireworks onto the pitch to protest their miserable performance and nightmarish start to the season. The first stop was 0-2 to the visitors, after glasses were thrown onto the pitch, another stop was after several firecrackers were thrown, and finally, in a 0-3 situation to Feyenoord, came the inevitable stop.
But the trouble did not stop there - the police outside the stadium had to use tear gas to prevent violent clashes between the fans (note that Feyenoord fans were not allowed to enter the stadium). Feyenoord's players and staff remained in the dressing room for many minutes until they were given permission to leave the pitch.
"This is not behaviour typical of Ajax," the luxury club said in a statement. "The disappointment of the start of the season is understandable, but cannot be an excuse for this violent behavior. We apologize to everyone."
Ajax, who finished third last year and failed to secure their ticket to the Champions League for the first time in 13 years, have had a horrific start to the 2023/24 season and are only 14th, with five points from four matches. "We are very disappointed with what happened," board member Jan van Halst said. "It's a tough day for the club, one of the most important games in the history of Dutch football has been stopped. It's very sad. It's a bad start to the season, we understand the frustration, but to express it like that - it's not allowed."
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The one who paid the price for a difficult start to the season is Sven Mislintat - formerly of Dortmund and Arsenal - who served as sporting director for just 128 days but stepped down because he "did not receive support from management", according to the club's official statement.
"It's very upsetting that a game like this ends like this," Feyenoord coach Arne Sloat said. "We were denied the opportunity to do something beautiful."
- More on the subject:
- Ajax
- Feyenoord
