The Eredivisie game between Ajax and FC Groningen has been permanently suspended after a group of Ajax supporters set off and threw fireworks onto the pitch.
Five minutes into the game and at a score of 0-0, members of the F-Side, the fanatic group of Ajax supporters, set off fireworks en masse in remembrance of a fellow fan who passed away earlier this week. With the stadium filled with smoke and fireworks making it unsafe, referee Bas Nijhuis immediately suspended play.
Een gigantische lading vuurwerk vanaf de tribunes. Arbiter Bas Nijhuis legt de wedstrijd stil… #ajagro pic.twitter.com/kAAjHz7ZGS
— Lentin Goodijk (@LentinGoodijk) November 30, 2025
After nearly 40 minutes, play resumed, but the resumption was short-lived after the same group of Ajax fans threw more fireworks onto the pitch within seconds. Nijhuis called the players back into the tunnel and quickly signalled for a definite suspension of the game.
Speaking to ESPN, Nijhuis confirmed he'd decided to abandon the game: "The mayor of Amsterdam must approve, but as far as I am concerned, the game is officially abandoned. I cannot guarantee the safety of the players."
'Utterly scandalous'
Following the match suspension, Ajax released a statement condemning F-Side's actions."Ajax find what happened in the stadium tonight utterly scandalous. We apologise to anyone affected by this incident. The safety of spectators and players has been compromised. This is unacceptable. We strongly condemn this misconduct. Fireworks have no place in the stadium."
The Amsterdam club emphasised that the culprits had been searched and the club had sought to detect fireworks and stop them from entering the stadium. The searching process included sniffing dogs and other measures, but to no avail.
Ajax went on to say they'll try to identify those guilty of throwing fireworks onto the pitch using the footage available to them and will discipline them accordingly.