Ajax fine player after he punched fan following the club’s 3-1 loss to FC Twente
Ajax have confirmed that they have fined Steven Berghuis after the attacker punched a fan following the team's 3-1 defeat against FC Twente in the Eredivisie on Sunday (May 28).
Berghuis, 31, was filmed lashing out at a fan before boarding the team bus following the Amsterdam-based club's embarrassing loss to Twente in their final game of the season. According to Dutch daily Tubantia, the player could not restrain himself after a fan hurled a racist slur at teammate Brian Brobbey.
The Ajax attacker has since expressed his regret for treating a fan in such a way. Berghuis also admitted that his actions were not justified even if his teammate was being verbally abused.
"I regret my action, I should not have done this," Berghuis told Dutch daily De Telegraaf (via Football Transfers). "After every away game, we get a lot of curses thrown at us when we get on the bus, while we make time to hand out autographs to fans who ask for them. I'm used to it by now, but people think they can shout anything. My reaction doesn't solve anything, I understand that too. It's not good."
Ajax, meanwhile, announced that Berghuis has been fined for the misconduct.
"Steven (Berghuis) reacted in the wrong way," the club admitted (via the aforementioned source). "He quickly made this known to (manager) John Heitinga and immediately apologized. On arrival at the Arena, he had a conversation with Heitinga, Edwin van der Sar and Sven Mislintat. They wanted to hear his side of the story. The conclusion is that his reaction was wrong and that Ajax disapproves. He has been fined."
It remains to be seen if Berghuis, who bagged 11 goals and 11 assists in 42 games across competitions for the club this term, will face further sanctions for his actions.
Ajax lost Eredivisie title to Feyenoord
Ajax won the Eredivisie for the third time in a row last season. They were crowned champions after earning 83 points from 34 games. The team, who were managed by Erik ten Hag at the time, finished two points above runners-up PSV Eindhoven.
However, the Amsterdam-based club have lost the title to Feyenoord this term. The Rotterdam outfit finished seven points above PSV with 82 points. John Heitinga's side, meanwhile, amassed only 69 points and finished third in the table.
Hence, last season's champions have managed to qualify only for the UEFA Europa League play-off round. They had qualified for at least the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds for each of the last 13 seasons. Heitinga and Co. will be determined to bounce back next season.