ajax normally played their home matches at the de meer stadion. however, as demand for tickets to watch the match was high, it was switched to the higher-capacity olympic stadium. amsterdam suffered from heavy fog in the 24 hours before the match was due to start, and with the fog not abating before kick-off, it was debated whether to go ahead with the match. one option was to postpone the match, which liverpool manager bill shankly favoured. he was less keen on the match being replayed the next day as liverpool were scheduled to face manchester united in the next few days. the referee antonio sbardella decided to go ahead with the match, despite visibility reportedly being down to .