Amsterdam mayor to get tough on Ajax football hooligans

Amsterdam’s mayor Eberhard van der Laan is planning to get tough on known Ajax football hooligans by forcing them to report to the police during the club’s European away games.

The Parool reports on Saturday that the mayor and city centre shop keepers want action against Ajax troublemakers, who they say are nearly always the cause of problems around football matches.

Ajax football supporters have built up a bad reputation in recent years, the paper states. For example, in Glasgow at the beginning of this year, Ajax fans left a trail of destruction at the stadium, and in Manchester in 2012 they wrecked a bar.

Beer

‘You cannot get around the fact. It is always Ajax fans who wreck things,’ Won Yip, who owns several bars in the centre of Amsterdam, told the paper.

Van der Laan says he will use all the methods at his disposal to call Ajax fans to order. ‘And that includes the reporting requirement,’ he said. ‘That has become the secret of England’s [anti-hooliganism] laws. And I will use all the options open to me.’

Amsterdam police, who have come under fire for using excessive violence against Scottish fans, are currently conducting an investigation into the events of November 6.

According to the Parool, the riots were the most serious football-related violence in the city for years.

After the match, which Ajax won 1-0, the Amsterdam club was fined €25,000 by Uefa after fans displayed a banner stating ‘Fenian bastards’ during the match.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation