Ajax star gets sent off but remains on the pitch in incredibly rare decision

Dutch giants Ajax benefitted from an incredibly rare decision after their captain was allowed to remain on the pitch despite being sent off.

Ajax are currently second in the Eredivisie, sitting six points behind league leaders PSV Eindhoven after 17 games played.

They have been enjoying a winter break from competitive action and will be back in the swing of things on Saturday when Francesco Farioli's side host RKC Waalwijk at the Johan Cruyff Arena.

But Ajax have been keeping busy and on Sunday, they played out of a friendly against Bundesliga side Stuttgart to keep ticking over.

The practice game finished 2-2 as plenty of players got vital minutes in the tank but Ajax skipper Davy Klaassen was shown a red card 10 minutes into the second half.

The former Everton midfielder produced a shocking late tackle which caught an opponent right on the ankle.

The foul was a clear red card offence and players rushed over in anger at the challenge, which saw the referee give Klaassen his marching orders as he sat on the turf.

However, it appears as though both managers had a discussion and it was decided the match would still be played 11 vs 11.

But instead of a different player coming into the game, the Netherlands international remained on the pitch after the referee agreed he was able to play on given it was only a friendly fixture.

The incident sparked plenty of reaction online, with fans weighing in with their opinion.

One wrote: "Well well, still it’s weird. He deserved that red tbh."

A second said: "It's a friendly but the rules should still apply."

A third asked: "Is this sunday league football?"

Another stated: "Fariolo at least could take him off the pitch out of respect."

A fifth added: "Imagine you bet a player to be sent off and this happens."

A final person commented: "Rules aren't applied in friendly?"

Klaassen is in his third spell with Ajax, coming through the ranks at the Amsterdam outfit before joining Everton.

He returned in 2020 for another three seasons before spending a year at Inter Milan and returning on a one-year contract in the summer.