Van Persie's terror over Ajax thugs

Robin Van Persie, the 20-year-old Dutch star who came close to joining Arsenal in January, today revealed how he had to "run for his life" after being attacked by Ajax hooligans.

The striker was attacked by dozens of supporters after playing in a reserve match between his present club, Feyenoord, and arch rivals Ajax.

Van Persie, who still harbours a dream of moving to Highbury in the summer, was set upon by thugs and suffered head and neck injuries at the end of the game, which Ajax won 3-1.

They made for van Persie because of his star status and it needed Ajax youth coach Marco van Basten to wade in to help rescue the youngster.

He said: "We had to run for our lives. Back in the dressing room players were crying.

"At the end of the match there was this huge chaos. Players of 18, 19 and 20 were beaten up, including myself. My neck really hurts. The Ajax players and Marco van Basten had to jump in to protect us.

"It was awful. There was massive panic and it was the worst thing I have ever experienced."

A spokesman for the Dutch Football Association said: "We are taking this very seriously and will carry out a full investigation into what happened. We are awaiting the referee's report, then maybe we can prosecute some of the supporters who hit players or committed offences."

The Feyenoord players were locked in the dressing room for two hours after the game for their own safety and the team coach was then given a police escort back to Rotterdam.