SC Cambuur confirmed that five home supporters suffered burns, hearing damage, and eye injuries after away fans from Feyenoord threw flares and fireworks during the match in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, on Sunday (August 25).
The match was halted for about 20 minutes in the first half when fans in the away section lit multiple red flares and threw fireworks onto the pitch. Several fireworks were aimed toward the Cambuur fan area, and one exploded on the field just meters away from Feyenoord goalkeeper Tjark Ernst.
“Our goalkeeper was shot at with a flare and luckily dodged it,” said Feyenoord general manager Robert Eenhoorn, calling the incident “terrible.”
In a statement on Monday, Cambuur said five fans were confirmed injured and the club would work with authorities to identify those responsible. “It is clear that shooting flares and fireworks is completely unacceptable and has no place in football stadiums,” the club emphasized.
The mayor of Leeuwarden, Foort van Oosten, also condemned the incident and promised an investigation. The Dutch Football Association (KNVB) said it would review regulations for dealing with crowd disturbances.
The match continued despite the injuries, but under current rules, it would be abandoned if players or match officials were hit by fireworks. Jan Bluyssen, head of professional football at KNVB, told ANP news agency: “That feeling is not right. We need to consider whether the regulations are still appropriate and how to adjust them.”
Feyenoord won 5-2, maintaining their unbeaten start to the season, while newly promoted Cambuur suffered a third consecutive defeat.
