The public prosecution department has launched an investigation into anti-Jewish chanting at Sunday’s Eredivisie football match between FC Utrecht and Amsterdam club Ajax.

The investigation is focusing on the fans rather than the club, a spokesman told website Nu.nl.

During Sunday’s match, which ended in a 1-1 draw, supporters were clearly heard chanting about having a mother in the SS and ‘Jews burning best’. The video was placed online and picked up by the Telegraaf newspaper.

Ajax players and supporters are nicknamed de Joden – the Jews – although opinion is divided as to the reason.

Jewish groups had called for action after the chanting and say FC Utrecht is partly responsible because the club took no action to stop its supporters. The club has already pledged to investigate.

Referee

‘Utrecht should have used the loudspeaker system to call supporters to order and if that did not work, have discussed stopping the match with the referee,’ Hans Knoop of the Stichting Bestrijding Antisemitisme told news agency ANP.

Anti-semitism is a criminal offence and the club is guilty of failing to take action, he said.

The organisation won a similar case against ADO Den Haag in 2011, when judges said the club should have intervened immediately to stop the chanting.