Ajax’s home Eredivisie match against archrivals Feyenoord was suspended 11 minutes into the second half after disgruntled fans threw flares onto the pitch with the visitors leading 3-0 on Sunday.

When flares were thrown onto the pitch for a second time, with many landing near the goal, the referee stopped the contest and directed the players down the tunnel.

Fans paid no heed as the club displayed the message “Lighting of fireworks is prohibited” on the big screen at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam.

“One of the most important games in the Netherlands is discontinued,” interim Ajax chief executive Jan van Halst said. “That’s serious. Everyone is angry and sad because of this.

“The most important thing for now is that everyone — guests and supporters — safely leave the Johan Cruiff Arena. For now things seem to be going well. But we’re still try to manage the situation.

“We understand the disappointment among supporters. We have a really bad start of the season. There is a lot going on around our club. But, that is no reason for this actions. We strongly disapprove this. The measures we take in the Netherlands do evidently not work. Not enough.”

Ajax, who have had a poor start to the season with just one win, sit 13th in the 18-team league. They conceded all three goals on Sunday in the first half, leading to discontent from the fans.

The club finished third last season and failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 13 seasons. They had finished champions seven times and runners-up another five over the previous 12 seasons.

Sunday’s derby becomes the latest to be abandoned in Dutch football, which has struggled to deal with fan behaviour in recent years.

The Dutch football federation (KNVB) instituted a rule that suspends any match for 10 minutes after an object is thrown by fans onto the field. Once a match has been restarted for a second time, any further objects thrown will cause the match to be abandoned.

Caretaker Dutch Justice Minister Dilan Yesilgöz-Zegerius said in a message on X, formerly Twitter: “This no longer has anything to do with football and being a supporter. You play with the safety of the players, fellow supporters and yourself. Shame on you!”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.