Classic clash of passion and hate

AJAX v Feyenoord. It used to be one of the classics of the Dutch season, a game of intense rivalry between the soccer jewels of Amsterdam and Rotterdam, between the commercial and intellectual centres of Holland. Now, it is the "Match of Hate".

Sunday's 133rd derby between Ajax Amsterdam and Feyenoord Rotterdam proved an exciting, pulsating 2-2 draw. Not for the first time, though, it was the violent action off the pitch which attracted most attention.

Soccer hooliganism is nothing new in Holland. For more than a decade now Ajax v Feyenoord has been a high risk fixture.

However, the disappointing aspect of the violent incidents which marked Sunday's game is that they confirm a government report of last week which suggested that soccer hooliganism in Holland is not on the wane, despite the best efforts of police and soccer authorities.

Even though strict security measures were in place and even though the match kick off had been brought forward from the evening to the afternoon, 30 fans were arrested and two policemen injured following a series of incidents.

Feyenoord fans lobbed a fire bomb at police in Rotterdam's city centre, Ajax fans arriving in Rotterdam by train threw ball bearings at police, and Feyenoord fans attacked the Ajax, team bus near the stadium, throwing stones, bottles and iron bars and managing to break a window on the bus.

The Ajax chairman Michael Van Praag and squad player Menno Willems were both slightly injured by the breaking glass and for a while it seemed that Ajax might refuse to play the match.

Inevitably, media attention yesterday focused on the violence. The Dutch daily Algemeen Daghlad commented: "Feyenoord Ajax has always been a classic, bout in the last few years another tradition has developed one of riots and violence. The duel between the two giants is now the Match of Hate".

A police spokesman tended to take a less apocalyptic view, suggesting that the incidents just represented a business as usual hooligan Sunday. The Feyenoord chairman Jorien van den Herik argued that things could have been much worse, although he did at least concede that the violence had ruined his afternoon's entertainment.

It is worth recording that the violence marred what turned out be an entertaining game. Ajax twice came back to equalise, despite missing a penalty, and even if the match ended a five game winning run, the Amsterdam side proved themselves in good shape.

This has, of course, been a difficult season for the 1995 European Cup winners and 1996 beaten finalists. Winners of the last three Dutch titles, Ajax are 11 points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven.