Over the last month three incidents of discrimination have taken place in Dutch football raising concerns over the worsening atmosphere at and around football matches in the Netherlands.

On Sunday 14 February shortly after the end of the FC Groningen v Ajax encounter a fan of the home side was arrested for performing a Nazi salute and shouting racist words against an Ajax fan.

"After the match, our colleagues spotted a FC Groningen supporter throwing a Hitler salute and shouting racist slogans against an Ajax supporter,

"During questioning, the man told that he had gotten caught up in the atmosphere between supporters of both clubs, but now, in retrospect, he is extremely sorry about it." said the police.

Fans of the Amsterdam team tend to refer to themselves as “the Jews” and for that reason often targeted with anti-Semitic and racist chants perpetrated by opposing fans.

In a hearing after the arrest the 21-year-old man was fined 525€.

The incident comes after an Ajax fan was caught on camera pretending to lynch Feyenoord goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer on 7 February and the Ajax defender Riechedly Bazoer subjected to monkey chants by a section of Ado Den Haag fans on 17 January.

Last week the Dutch FA (KNVB) director of professional football Bert van Oostveen expressed his concerns over the worsening atmosphere in Dutch football and called on fans to step up their efforts to combat improper behaviour.