Chelsea prepare for an Ajax invasion with hundreds of away fans trying to get into Stamford Bridge despite being banned tonight… with supporters told to bring photo ID in club’s bid to stop Dutch fans getting in
Chelsea are stepping up security at Stamford Bridge as they prepare for a hoard of banned Ajax fans trying to gain entry to Tuesday night’s Champions League clash.
Dutch supporters are banned for the group stage match following crowd trouble at Valencia last month, but hundreds have still made the trip to London this week.
Many had already booked transport and accommodation and so have made the trip to the English capital despite their ban from attending the match.
Four Ajax fans made use of the Stamford Bridge tour despite their ban from Chelsea game
The Blues are taking special measures to ensure there is no repeat of the incident at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last month when around 200 banned Red Star Belgrade supporters found their way inside.
A one-off identity check has been set up before entry with supporters told to bring photographic ID along.
Ajax’s ban came following a suspended sentence imposed after their match against Benfica last season.
The Eredivisie champions were also fined £43,200 for the disturbances.
There were also violent clashes between Ajax and Spurs fans ahead of their Champions League semi-final first leg last season. Three police officers were injured and eight arrests were made last May.
Some Ajax fans were hoping to attend Leyton Orient’s EFL Trophy game with Brighton Under 23s instead.
But that match has been postponed by 24 hours ‘following the advice of safety groups, including the police’.
Dutch outlet Het Parool reported on Monday that Ajax fans had already begun to descend on London, with dozens walking around the city centre.
They claim that some are in possession of tickets, while others plan on watching the game in pubs. Four fans shared a picture of themselves on Twitter taking in the Stamford Bridge tour.
One fan, Marco from Amsterdam, confirmed he had a seat in amongst home supporters.
‘Tomorrow night I’m just sitting with my friends among the English in the stands.
‘We have tickets for the long side of the stadium. They were just for sale on the internet. We do not wear Ajax shirts, so that will be fine. And we are really not the only ones doing it.
‘I’ve been travelling with Ajax for 20 years – do you think I’m going to watch an away match against Chelsea on the couch next to my wife’.
This comes despite Chelsea refusing to put tickets for the game on general sale over fears that Ajax supporters would try to storm the home end.
Tickets were sold only to season ticket holders and then members on a loyalty point basis.
Last week Tottenham banned 48 supporters for selling tickets to Red Star Belgrade fans for last month’s Champions League clash.
The Serbian side were banned from selling tickets to their fans for the fixture after being found guilty of racism in the qualifying round
The club launched a full investigation and found almost 50 One Hotspur members purchased multiple tickets and illegally sold them on.