Last year, the duel between the rivals was interrupted by pyrotechnics and disturbances, and Hancko was also at the center of the action. Now the match has been moved due to a lack of police officers – Foreign leagues – Football

Sunday’s blockbuster of the 4th round of the Dutch top football competition Eredivisie between Feyenoord Rotterdam and Ajax Amsterdam will not take place on the set date. His action was banned on Tuesday by the municipality in the second largest Dutch city, as a police strike is to be held in the area on the day of the duel.

Feyenoord fans during the match with Ajax.

“The security of this duel cannot be ensured without a sufficient number of police officers. That’s why we took this unpopular step,” explained Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb.

Dutch police have been campaigning for months to preserve their right to early retirement. In recent weeks, it has increased its strike activity by refusing to patrol football matches.

The main union said police officers would hold a union meeting on Sunday instead of policing outside Rotterdam’s De Kuip Stadium.

“We understand their attitude and the fact that they stand up for their cause. However, we are sorry that football has once again become a tool for enforcing things that do not even concern it,” reads the opinion of Feyenoord, whose jersey is also worn by Slovakian national defender Dávid Hancko.

Eredivisie matches between Feyenoord and Ajax, also known by the term Klassieker, have often been accompanied by fan behavior problems in recent history.

Last year, an attractive duel between two old rivals ended prematurely, because Ajax fans threw pyrotechnics on the playing field when the score was 0:3.