Due to numerous pyrotechnics violations by NAC Breda fans, the final minutes of the abandoned match against SC Heerenveen were played the next day. The match took place behind closed doors.
During the match between NAC Breda and SC Heerenveen, originally played on Sunday afternoon, sections of the NAC fanbase forced the game to be abandoned. Referee Sander van der Eijk made this decision in the 82nd minute with the score at 2-0 in favor of Breda.
Given the home team’s certain relegation—which had become a reality during the match due to the results of other teams—fans of the home team had repeatedly thrown fireworks onto the field. However, the Dutch Football Association (KNVB) did not rule to award the match to the visitors; instead, it opted for an unusual and curious alternative.
Both the remaining regular playing time and a six-minute stoppage time were made up the following day—but not at the Rat-Verlegh Stadium in Breda, but at the Abe-Lenstra Stadium in Heerenveen. “For security reasons, permission was not granted to play the match in Breda. In such cases, the regulations stipulate that the remainder of the match must be played at the opponent’s stadium,” the KNVB explained in a statement.
Both teams facing direct relegation have been determined
After finishing the previous season in 15th place—just above the relegation zone—Breda, the club from the province of North Brabant, can no longer avoid relegation to the second division on the final matchday. With one game remaining, they trail FC Volendam, who currently hold the relegation playoff spot, by four points.
The team, for which former Kiel player Lewis Holtby has been playing since last summer, is thus confirmed as a direct Eredivisie relegation candidate alongside bottom-placed Heracles Almelo. With one goal and five assists in 29 league games, even 35-year-old Holtby was unable to prevent the drop to the Keuken Kampioen Divisie.
