Gelderland broadcaster stops sending reporters to football riots, risky protests

Omroep Gelderland will no longer report outside the stadiums of football clubs in Gelderland. The broadcaster made this decision after NEC supporters attacked a reporter at the Goffert Stadium in Nijmegen on Sunday. Incidents also occurred after football matches in the past, the broadcaster confirmed.

After the NEC vs. Vitesse derby, riots broke out at the Goffert Stadium, with NEC hooligans clashing with the police. A reporting team from Omroep Gelderland got caught up in the violence. According to the broadcaster, a reporter was hit by a scooter. The broadcaster is considering filing a police report.

Broadcaster ESPN has the rights to television recordings in the stadiums. Other broadcasters are not allowed to run cameras there. Omroep Gelderland, among others, must interview supporters outside the stadiums if they want to talk to them. But that is no longer safe, said editor-in-chief Sandrina Hadderingh. The broadcaster will continue to report on matches online from inside the stadiums.

The broadcaster is also no longer sending reporters to risky demonstrations because it believes the press is not safe there either.