Investigation into collapse of stand at NEC Nijmegen’s stadium after match

Nobody was injured when the stand collapsed. Photo: ANP/Vincent Jannink
Nobody was injured when the stand collapsed. Photo: ANP/Vincent Jannink

An investigation has begun into how part of a stand in NEC Nijmegen’s Goffertstadion collapsed at the end of Sunday’s derby match against Vitesse Arnhem.

The concrete floor gave way as Vitesse fans celebrated their 1-0 victory with the players. Nobody was injured thanks to a container bin beneath the stand breaking their fall.

The mayor of Nijmegen, Hubert Bruls, said there was nothing to indicate the rest of the stadium was unsafe, but a survey of the entire stand is being carried out on Monday.

Bruls and NEC’s managing director Wilco van Schaik signed off the stadium’s safety certificate in February following an audit by the local environmental protection service on January 13.

‘The stadium is 21 years old and as far as I know there have never been any complaints or other observations,’ Bruls told NOS Radio 1 Journaal.

‘The specific part of the stand will be examined first. Beyond that there is no sign whatsoever that the stadium is unsafe.’

The KNVB has called for all stadium inspections to be carried out by a specialist agency. Two years ago part of the roof of AZ Alkmaar’s stadium collapsed during a storm in August. Nobody was in the ground at the time.

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