Ajax midfielder Davy Klaassen allowed to continue playing despite receiving straight red card from referee in clash with Stuttgart

On Saturday, Stuttgart hosted Ajax in a friendly match as both teams prepared to resume their respective seasons after the winter break. With Ajax 2-1 down, the referee showed Dutch midfielder Klaassen a red card. Shockingly, however, he was allowed to stay on the pitch.

Ajax boss Francesco Farioli and Stuttgart manager Sebastian Hoeness are said to have agreed that it would be better to continue playing with 11 players each, the referee concurred, and Klaassen returned to action in a game that ended 2-2 in unprecedented scenes.

Netherlands international Klaassen is in his third spell with Ajax after beginning his career with the Dutch giants, then returning between 2020-23, and then heading back to the Amsterdam outfit last year.

Klaassen's Ajax team, who sit second in the division behind leaders PSV Eindhoven, are back in Eredivisie action on Saturday against basement side RKC Waalwijk.