The 19-year-old youth who tried to attack the keeper of Alkmaar football club AZ during Wednesday night’s Dutch Cup tie had been banned from the Arena stadium for earlier incidents, Ajax financial director Jeroen Slop said on Thursday.

The attack led to AZ’s keeper Esteban Alvarado being given a red card after kicking his would-be attacker as he lay on the ground. Alkmaar coach Gertjan Verbeek then ordered his team to walk out in protest. Ajax was 1-0 ahead.
Slop said the youth appeared to have been given his ticket by someone with a season ticket. ‘We cannot check if someone illegally passes the ticket on to someone who has been banned from the stadium,’ Slop told Radio 1.
Tattoo
On Thursday evening, the Dutch football association withdrew the red card, saying the referee was right to give it, but under the circumstances the keeper would not be sent off.
The youth who tried to attack Alvarado, named Wesley, comes from Almere and has a large tattoo of the letters ACAB on his back, the Telegraaf said. ACAB is a popular acronym under football hooligans which stands for All Cops Are Bastards.
One eyewitness told the Telegraaf he had overheard the youth saying he wanted to spoil the match and make the papers.
Justice minister Ivo Opstelten told the Telegraaf he could not believe his eyes. ‘It was like animals,’ he said. The minister praised Verbeek for removing his players from the pitch. ‘Take action right away, that’s what I appreciate,’ Opstelten said.
What next?
It is not yet clear if and when the match will be replayed. That decision will be taken on December 28, after a football association investigation, news agency ANP said.
Meanwhile, the ‘kungfu keeper’ has made headlines around the world. England’s Daily Mail placed an article and string of photographs as the opening item on its website.