The Dutch cup final between Amsterdam’s Ajax and Feyenoord of Rotterdam is to be stretched over two matches without away supporters, in an effort to head off expected crowd trouble, the football association KNVB said on Thursday.

The first match will take place on April 25 in Amsterdam, the second on May 6 in Rotterdam.
The decision is the result of talks between the clubs, Rotterdam city council and the police, following mounting concern about the risk of violent confrontations between fans.
The cup final traditionally takes place in the Rotterdam Kuip stadium but the cost of staging the event had risen to €1m because of the additional police needed, the NRC reported.
Ajax fans are banned from away games against Feyenoord and Feyenoord fans banned from Ajax ties because of the history of violent clashes between the two clubs’ supporters.
On Wednesday, the KNVB stopped the sale of tickets for the original final because it could not guarantee the safety of ‘neutral’ football fans. That meant the match would have been played in a half-empty stadium.
The cup was also decided by two matches in 1983 when Ajax beat NEC in both games.