What We're Reading
Invading Dutch fan sentenced to six months in jail
- AFP, Friday, December 30, 2011 1:45 PM
The Ajax fan who ran onto the field during a Dutch Cup match and tried to assault AZ goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado was given a six-month jail sentence.
An Amsterdam court convicted the 19-year-old, only identified as "Wesley van W." of premeditated attempted assault. He will serve four months of the six-month sentence, with the remaining two
months suspended for two years, said a report.
Television footage of the Dec. 21 incident showed Wesley van W. running onto the field during the round-of-16 match and flailing at
Alvarado, who knocked him to the ground and kicked the fan twice before field stewards and police quelled the altercation.
The Costa Rican keeper was red-carded by the referee and the fan
escorted off by police. The match was suspended when AZ coach Gert Jan Verbeek pulled his team off the field in protest of the sending-off.
The
Dutch soccer federation (KNVB) rescinded the red card and banned the Ajax fan from professional matches in the Netherlands for life. The match will be replayed in its entirety on Jan. 19 behind closed
doors.
