The VAK410 (Dutch, "Section 410") was a Dutch Ultras group associated with AFC Ajax. The name comes from the name of their initial stand in Ajax's home stadium, the Amsterdam Arena. [1] [2]
The VAK410 (Dutch, "Section 410") was a Dutch Ultras group associated with AFC Ajax. The name comes from the name of their initial stand in Ajax's home stadium, the Amsterdam Arena. [1] [2]
VAK410 was founded on 26 January 2001 by fanatic supporters of the club who were tired of being on the waiting list for the already existing hooligan firm F-side. On that day, young Ajacied Karel organized the first meeting of the group's in the Amstel Cup home match against SBV Vitesse in row 114. The match resulted in a 1–2 loss. However, the club took a positive stance towards the initiative to create more of an atmosphere in the North side of the stadium, and so VAK410 was born. [3]
Originally known as the Ajax Ultras, with ajaxultras.nl being the official website, the group relocated to row 415 on 11 February 2001 ahead of the home match against Willem II, right next to the "Away row" for visiting supporters. Ajax' fanzine De Ajax Ster, otherwise known as DAS, reported on the development of the row, despite the low turnout of the ultras during the match. However, two weeks later, on 25 February 2001, the group celebrated its first big success when a large gathering managed to silence the visiting crowd during the home match against FC Utrecht. [4]
The first match in their current location in the stadium, from which they took the name VAK410, was held on 19 August 2001, at which point the group had approximately 400 members. Considered one of the most famous Tifosi groups in the sport, the group considered itself to be an ultra fan group, and it distanced itself from hooliganism. [5]
The group dissolved in the summer of 2016, after disagreements with Ajax Amsterdam's management, over the decision of the club's board to move them away from their years long location at VAK 410 of the Amsterdam Arena. [6]
Since the formation of the group, there have been several incidents that have led to negative press or even to the club being fined. In August 2010, Ajax was fined €10,000 for the group's behavior during a UEFA Europa League away match against Juventus due to severe destruction inside the stadium, the lighting of fireworks, and for injuring an Italian steward in the stadium. [7] Ajax was fined €10,000 once more in 2013 during the UEFA Champions League home match against Manchester City after VAK410 revealed a massive banner showing a crossed out Sheikh holding a bag of money, with the phrase 'Against Modern Football!' under it. UEFA called the banner tasteless and completely unfitting. [8] [9] During the final of the KNVB Cup in 2014, the group sabotaged the match by throwing fireworks onto the pitch in the vicinity of their own goalkeeper. They did this because the final was held in 'De Kuip', the stadium of rival club Feyenoord. The match was stopped twice with Ajax leading 1–0. After resuming the match, Ajax eventually lost 1–5 to PEC Zwolle. The group first stated that throwing fireworks is an inalienable part of such finals. [10] After pressure from authorities and the F-side, the group eventually did apologise for its behaviour in what would get known as the Vuurwerkincident . [11]
Ajax is popularly seen as having "Jewish roots". In the 1970s, supporters of rival teams began taunting Ajax fans by calling them Jews. Ajax fans, few of whom are actually Jewish themselves, countered this by embracing Ajax's "Jewish" identity: calling themselves "super Jews", chanting "Joden, Joden" (Jews, Jews) at games, and adopting Jewish symbols, such as the Star of David and the Israeli flag. This Jewish imagery eventually became a central part of Ajax fans' culture. At one point, ringtones of "Hava Nagila", a Hebrew folk song, could be downloaded from the club's official website. Starting in the 1980s, fans of Ajax' rivals started their antisemitic rhetoric, chanting slogans like "Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the gas" ("Hamas, Hamas, joden aan het gas"), hissing to imitate the flow of gas, giving Nazi salutes, etc. The eventual result was that many (genuinely) Jewish Ajax fans stopped going to games. In the 2000s, the club tried to persuade fans to drop its Jewish image, but to no avail. Supporters, both on and off the pitch, employ imagery associated with Jewish history and the Israeli nation to this day. Tottenham Hotspur's Yid Army use similar symbols. [12] [13] [14]
Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax, also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or simply Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Historically, Ajax has been the most successful club in the Netherlands, with 35 Eredivisie titles and 20 KNVB Cups. It has continuously played in the Eredivisie, since the league's inception in 1956 and, along with Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven, it is one of the country's "big three" clubs that have dominated that competition.
Feyenoord Rotterdam is a Dutch professional football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after its neighbourhood in 1912 as SC Feijenoord, updated in 1974 to SC Feyenoord, and then to Feyenoord Rotterdam in 1978, when it split from the amateur club under its wing, SC Feyenoord. Since 1937, Feyenoord's home ground has been the Stadion Feijenoord, nicknamed De Kuip, the second largest stadium in The Netherlands. It is regarded as the most atmospheric stadium in the country.
Alles Door Oefening Den Haag, commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag, is a Dutch association football club from the city of The Hague. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation from the Eredivisie in the 2020–21 season. The club was for a time known as FC Den Haag, with ADO representing the amateur branch of the club. Despite being from one of the traditional three large Dutch cities, it has not been able to match Ajax, Feyenoord or PSV in terms of success in the Eredivisie or in European competition. There is nonetheless a big rivalry with Ajax and Feyenoord. The Dutch words "Alles Door Oefening" translate into Everything Through Practice.
Football hooliganism, soccer hooliganism or more commonly football riot, constitutes violent or belligerent behaviour perpetrated by spectators at association football events. Football hooliganism normally involves conflict between gangs, in English known as football firms, formed to intimidate and attack supporters of other teams. Other English-language terms commonly used in connection with hooligan firms include "army", "boys", "bods", "casuals", and "crew". Certain clubs have long-standing rivalries with other clubs and hooliganism associated with matches between them is likely to be more severe.
De Klassieker is the main football rivalry of the Netherlands, between Ajax and Feyenoord. The record attendance was on 9 January 1966, when 65,562 watched in Rotterdam.
The history of Feyenoord, a Dutch football club formed in 1908, is among the longest and most successful in Dutch football. The club won their first national championship in 1924 and over nearly a century have won thirty major trophies. Feyenoord is based in the city of Rotterdam.
Het Legioen is the name of the supporters and fans of Dutch football club Feyenoord Rotterdam.
The Real Football Factories International is a documentary style program about football hooliganism across the world. The Real Football Factories was the first series, where presenter and actor Danny Dyer travelled the UK, meeting some of the more notorious football firms. In this spin-off series, Dyer goes international, meeting firms from across the globe. Dyer played the main character of Tommy Johnson, a main member of a fictional Chelsea firm in the 2004 film The Football Factory.
Eddy Hamel was an American soccer player for Dutch club AFC Ajax. Hamel was the first Jewish player for Ajax. He was killed by the Nazis in 1943 in Auschwitz concentration camp.
The F-side is a Dutch football hooligan group associated with AFC Ajax. The name came from the stand in Ajax' former stadium De Meer Vak F.
Superjews is a 2013 documentary film produced and directed by independent Israeli-Dutch filmmaker Nirit Peled.
The Iron rod incident was an incident of football hooliganism which took place on 27 September 1989 at the De Meer Stadion of Dutch football club Ajax Amsterdam. During a home match against Austria Wien, the Austrian goalkeeper Franz Wohlfahrt was struck by a metal iron rod launched onto the pitch by the Ajax hooligan firm F-side. As a result, Ajax had to concede the match by default and were excluded from competing in European football for a year.
Halte Amsterdam ArenA (Asdar) is a single rail train halt in the Bijlmermeer neighbourhood of stadsdeel (borough) Amsterdam-Zuidoost in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Situated right at the Johan Cruyff Arena, a football stadium which was previously known as the Amsterdam Arena, the station is specially built for supporter trains deployed during football matches that are considered high risk to the public, such as when local football club AFC Ajax face either Feyenoord, FC Utrecht, PSV or ADO Den Haag. In away matches supporters arrive and depart via this rail station. Regular attendants of the Ajax matches usually arrive via either the Duivendrecht railway station or the Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA railway station. Many away supporters also commonly arrive at the stadium by bus as well.
The Supportersvereniging Ajax (SVA) also known as Ajax Life is an organisation linked to AFC Ajax football club, based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The AFCA Supportersclub is an independent and official supporters' association linked to AFC Ajax football club, based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The South Crew ("STH-CRW") is a Dutch football tifosi group associated with AFC Ajax. The name is from their location the stand in Ajax' home stadium Amsterdam Arena, namely Zuid-1 and Zuid-2.
The Fireworks incident was a case of Football hooliganism which took place on Easter Sunday, 20 April 2014 in De Kuip, Rotterdam, during the KNVB Cup final match between AFC Ajax and PEC Zwolle. Mass amounts of fireworks, flares and smoke bombs were launched into the penalty box around Ajax goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer in the early minutes of the match, which had been thrown onto the pitch by the Ajax hooligan firm VAK410 twice in the early build up of the game. After a 30 minute recess in which marketing director Edwin van der Sar addressed the crowd, Ajax would go on to lose the match 5–1 to Zwolle.
The North Up Alliance ("N.U.A.") is a Dutch football tifosi group associated with AFC Ajax. The name is from their location the stand in Ajax' home stadium Amsterdam Arena, namely rows 409 to 414 in the 2nd ring of the Stadium.
A.F.C.A is a Dutch hooligan firm linked to A.F.C. Ajax. In the past the Ajax fans consists only out of one firm: the well known F-side. Nowadays there are more firms active such as VAK410. Although they are separated groups, there is cooperation between them. This is especially the case during riots, the AFCA firm then consists of a mix with members from all of the groups, and they operate as one firm: the AFCA firm.
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