Davy Klaassen of Ajax Amsterdam was struck by an object thrown from the stands, causing a delay in their match against bitter rivals Feyenoord in Rotterdam on Wednesday.
Despite the incident, Ajax managed to secure a place in the Dutch Cup final after edging out Feyenoord.
After Klaassen scored the second goal to put Ajax ahead 2-1, a confrontation broke out between rival players near the corner flag. During the commotion, Klaassen was hit on the head by what appeared to be a cigarette lighter.
Following the incident, both teams walked off the field. Feyenoord’s assistant coach, John de Wolf, later addressed the home supporters using the public address system, urging them to “use their common sense”.
The game was stopped for 28 minutes, and Klaassen was substituted shortly after it resumed. He gestured that he was feeling dizzy as a result of the head injury.
“I had a throbbing feeling around the wound and I also had trouble focussing, so I could have stayed on the pitch but that was not going to help me nor the team,” Klaassen told the Ajax website.
“It was hard… you don’t want to let it get to you but sometimes you have to put your pride aside and do what’s best for the team.”
Police said a 32-year-man had been arrested and the incident was being investigated.
The match had started five minutes late due to smoke from fireworks lit by Feyenoord supporters. It had to be stopped 21 seconds after kick-off to allow the heavy black smoke to clear.
Ajax will face PSV Eindhoven in the final on April 30.
Source: Reuters
