The Eredivisie match between Ajax and FC Groningen on Sunday was abandoned by referee Bas Nijhuis after six minutes when members of the fanatic Ajax fan group F-Side set off fireworks in the stands and threw torches onto the pitch.
The match was rescheduled to Tuesday afternoon and was to be played behind closed doors, leaving thousands of well-meaning football fans unable to attend.
Spoiled last wish
Ajax made an exception for one fan who was present on Sunday evening, however. Peter, a terminally ill Ajax fan whose last wish was to attend one last Ajax game, was allowed to be the only fan in attendance on Tuesday after his visit with the WensAmbulance Foundation, a foundation that makes final wishes of terminally ill people come true, was spoiled on Sunday.
"Peter has been a loyal Ajax fan for years. He has always played a lot of football himself and has also been a referee. Unfortunately, due to his illness, he has been in a hospice since September this year and is no longer able to get out of bed. Nevertheless, he still follows football closely," WensAmbulance said on Facebook.
"Half an hour before kick-off, we were standing in front of the Johan Cruyff ArenA. Accompanied by an Ajax steward, we were shown to a great spot in the stadium. The atmosphere was good at that point; the FC Groningen supporters were singing cheerful songs," the foundation said about Peter's evening.
"At precisely 8 p.m., the first whistle blew. You could clearly see that Peter and his son were enjoying themselves: watching Ajax play live together one last time - a moment that meant a lot to them."
Peter and the foundation stayed put after the game was first stopped for forty minutes, but were forced to leave after the match was officially abandoned - much to Peter and the foundation's sadness. It was announced on Tuesday, however, that Peter would be the only fan in attendance at the game against Groningen after getting special permission from Ajax.
However, the foundation announced on Tuesday that the fan could not attend Tuesday's game after all: "When the volunteers arrived at the hospice this afternoon to fulfil Peter's last wish, it turned out that his condition had deteriorated to such an extent that his last wish will never be fulfilled."
A volunteer of the foundation told Amsterdam news outlet AT5 that first-aiders gave Peter earplugs after fireworks were first set off on Sunday, and that he felt it could be going wrong: "He was really looking forward to this day. So it's just very sad that it's been ruined by the fireworks."