'Ban away fans from high risk matches' - Dutch MPs

Dutch MPs are urging the government to ban away fans from high-risk matches after trouble before and after Sunday's first division match between Feyenoord and their rivals Ajax Amsterdam.

"If fans behave like this it is not worth allowing them to attend the match," Gerdi Verbeet of the PvdA Labour party was quoted as saying in the Dutch media.

"It will cost the police too much time and society will pay the price. Police officers have to sacrifice their free hours and then are not available for their normal tasks."

The Rotterdam-Rijnmond police arrested 43 Feyenoord fans after the match in the De Kuip stadium, which Ajax won 3-2, following clashes with police, and eight supporters remain in custody. Seven policemen were injured during the trouble.

Ajax fans wrecked two trains taking them to the match with 800 supporters detained at Feyenoord station on arrival, while another 800 were left stranded near Rotterdam. All 1,600 fans were sent back to Amsterdam on buses to face charges.

"Matches with a high risk level should be played without away fans while the cost of the damage should be recovered from the hooligans," Joop Atsma of the CDA Christian-Democrat party said.

Jan Rijpstra of the VVD free-market liberals added: "The vandals should be held personally responsible and you have to burden these kind of fans with the bill."

Feyenoord host PSV Eindhoven in a Dutch Cup semi-final today and Rotterdam police said the match will go ahead.

"There's less rivalry between Feyenoord and PSV than Feyenoord and Ajax but we'll be on extra alert," said Rotterdam police spokeswoman Marjan den Hollander.

After Sunday's match hundreds of Feyenoord fans, frustrated after their team's defeat, started throwing stones at the police who responded by dousing them with water cannon.

The home supporters also tried to spark confrontation with a small group of Ajax fans still detained at the station near the Feyenoord stadium waiting for their bus transfer to Amsterdam.