Inside story of Holland hooligan shot in front of daughter in ‘revenge attack’
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Holland hooligan Martin van der Pol was walking his seven-year-old daughter home from school when the Dutchman was shot in March earlier this year.
But what really happened?
Ons Oranje, having already secured their place in the Euro 2020 knockout stages, will look to end with the full nine points when they face North Macedonia on Monday.
They are known for having a very passionate support base, with some forming hooligan groups at clubs such as Ajax and PSV – but it also leads to violent clashes.
With an undercurrent of gang warfare feeding the clashes, it saw Van der Pol, aka Polletje, shot earlier this year in front of his seven-year-old daughter.
The 56-year-old was executed in Amsterdam on March 4 while he was picking up his child outside her school, De Schakel, in what was believed to be a gangland hit.
As Van der Pol and his daughter left the school, the Ajax fan was shot multiple times, getting ambushed from 100m away before getting shot in the head and dying at the scene.
It sparked a huge response from the emergency services, with police, ambulances, helicopters and specially-trained dogs dispatched to find the killer.
But the Dutchman’s history of crime saw reports suggest that it was a revenge murder for an incident 21 years ago.
On February 20, 2000, Van der Pol was convicted for manslaughter of four men at Club Esther, a sex club in the outlying Amsterdam region of Haarlem.
When a female bartender refused to have sex with one of the victims, her boyfriend killed him after he pulled out a gun and another while the 56-year-old Van der Pol brought the remaining men down.
This came despite arguing in court that the pair were defending themselves, saying they believed if one was armed then all were.
But Van der Pol was sentenced to life in prison – which was reduced to a 15-year sentence when an appeal successfully claimed he was acting in fear.
After leaving prison, the Dutchman continued his life as an influential figure within the Ajax football club firm known as "F-side”.
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He gained popularity after being kicked in the face by a police horse, irreparably damaging his face.
The group was founded in 1976 and has been associated by authorities with a wide range of criminal activity including drug trafficking, rioting, arson and even murder.
Away from football, though, Van der Pol was regularly seen walking his daughter home from school by neighbours.
- Euro 2020
- Shooting
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