Rotterdam police confirmed that they used a water cannon to disperse a group of “several dozen” of protesters in the vicinity of De Kuip Stadium, before the derby between Ajax and Feyenoord this Sunday.
64 people were detained for “violence”, it was announced over Sunday. The match was won by Ajax 2-0. A city spokeswoman confirmed to AFP, before the game, that the situation was “under stress”.
According to ANP, the Ajax bus was attacked with flares on arrival at the stadium. The Dutch news agency also reported that a group of 100 to 150 people threw flares and bottles at the police and a “handful of people” were arrested.
The match, which took place behind closed doors due to sanitary restrictions, has been made more explosive by the presence of former Feyenoord player Steven Berghuis, whose transfer to Ajax this season has been widely criticized.
Feyenoord has a reputation for having some of the most violent fans in Europe. Hooligans were identified in acts of the city in January and late November 2021.
The Netherlands is in “confinement” since Sunday, during the end of the year, to try to prevent the fifth wave of covid-19 and the strong progression of the omicron variant.
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