The Eredivisie match between Ajax and Groningen at the Johan Cruyff Arena was abandoned after fans set off fireworks and flares behind one of the goals.
Referee Bas Nijhuis called for the players to leave the pitch just five minutes into the game. When attempts to resume the match were met with similar disturbances, it was officially cancelled.
The Dutch club announced that the match would be rescheduled to Tuesday, Dec. 2, and held without spectators.
Ajax tweeted, “The match between Ajax and FC Groningen will continue on Tuesday at 14:30 after being abandoned on Sunday evening due to repeated fireworks, with the score still at 0-0.”
In response to the incident, the club issued a statement denouncing the actions of the supporters.
“Ajax finds what happened in the stadium tonight absolutely scandalous,” the club stated on Twitter. “We apologize to anyone affected by this. The safety of both spectators and players was jeopardized, which is unacceptable. We wholeheartedly disassociate ourselves from this behavior. Fireworks have no place in a stadium.”
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“Spectators in the affected section were searched, and sniffer dogs were brought in to detect fireworks both before the stadium opened and at the entrances. Additional preventive measures were also implemented, yet we could not avert this incident.
“We will review CCTV footage to identify those responsible and conduct further investigations. Should we identify any offenders, appropriate actions will be taken.”
This report includes information from PA.