The Hague: Amsterdam police were holding eight Lille fans Wednesday, a day after arresting more than 300 supporters of the French club ahead of its Champions League game against Ajax.
The other supporters, arrested after flares were set off at a metro station and fans walked along train lines, were all released overnight, police in the Dutch capital said.
“Eight French supporters have been placed in formal detention. They are suspected of violence in a public place at Strandvliet metro station,” Amsterdam police said on Twitter.
The violence erupted hours ahead of the match at the Johan Cruyff Arena, which Ajax won 3-0 to go top of Group H.
Supporters were forced to halt rail traffic and evacuate two stations for a short while, the ANP national news agency reported.
According to Lille, fans were peacefully heading to the match when a handful of supporters launched flares on the metro, causing them to stop, after which police arrested the troublemakers and everyone else.
“Obviously the club condemns any bad behaviour and any form of violence,” Lille president Gerard Lopez told AFP, adding that Lille were ‘in touch with the Dutch police’.
Around 3,000 fans made the short trip from Lille to Amsterdam to watch their team start their first Champions League campaign in seven years against the side that made it to the semi-finals last season.
AFP
