Amsterdam – Video filmed by X user Shelly captures the moment fireworks chaos inside the Johan Cruyff Arena forced Ajax’s Eredivisie match against Groningen to be abandoned on Sunday evening.

With Groningen on the ball in the fifth minute, pyrotechnics began exploding above the terrace behind the Ajax goal. Play stopped immediately as players moved away from the area and headed toward the far end of the pitch.

Match officials quickly stepped in and sent both teams down the tunnel while the fireworks continued for more than a minute with no players left on the field. The prolonged display left the referee with no choice but to call the game off.

The fireworks show was reportedly arranged as a tribute to a supporter who had died, but its scale and position inside the stadium raised instant concerns over safety and crowd management. Given the intensity of the explosions and their closeness to the pitch and stands, officials ruled that a safe environment for players, staff, and fans could not be guaranteed.

After the abandonment, Ajax issued a furious statement, apologising to those affected and vowing to pursue those responsible. The club declared: “Ajax finds what happened in the stadium tonight utterly scandalous. We apologise to everyone affected in any way. The safety of spectators and players has been jeopardised. This is unacceptable. We emphatically distance ourselves from this misconduct. Fireworks have no place in the stadium.

“Spectators in the affected section of the stadium were frisked. Dogs were also deployed to detect fireworks, both inside the stadium before it opened and as spectators entered. Other preventative measures were also implemented. Despite this, we were unable to prevent this situation.

“We will, of course, review the camera footage to try to identify the perpetrators and investigate in other ways who is responsible. If this leads to the identification of perpetrators, we will take appropriate action.”

Ajax detailed the searches carried out in the relevant section and the use of detection dogs inside the arena before opening and at the turnstiles. Despite these steps, fireworks still entered the ground and ultimately caused the match to be abandoned. The club confirmed it will study all available camera footage and continue investigations to establish how the pyrotechnics were smuggled in and who organised the display, reiterating that anyone identified will face “appropriate action”.

The cancelled fixture came during a troubled spell in Ajax’s season. The team sits sixth in the Eredivisie table, 16 points behind leaders PSV, and went into Sunday’s game without a win since late October after back-to-back defeats, including a home loss to Excelsior.

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