Riots after NEC-Vitesse match; Over 20 arrests

On Sunday, the police arrested over 20 people in Nijmegen when riots broke out at the Goffert Stadium after the match between football club NEC and Vitesse from Arnhem. The police expect to make more arrests once CCTV footage is reviewed.

According to the police, hooligans used "a lot of violence." Many dozens of NEC supporters sought a confrontation with the police after their club lost the match. They vandalized a police van and threw sticks and stones at police officers. They also attacked officers with tree stumps. The police carried out several charges.

Buses carrying Vitesse supporters had to wait in the Goffert Stadium's bus lock until the situation outside was calm. Many supporters were not allowed to leave the stadium. They were taken in groups to another exit, according to NEC. This was necessary for safety reasons because they would have ended up directly in the middle of a group of rioters if they had used the normal exits.

There had been several clashes between supporters of the two rival teams in the run-up to the match. In the night from Saturday to Sunday, there was a fight between Nijmegen residents and Arnhem residents in an industrial estate in Arnhem-Zuid.

Early on Sunday morning, the police found a seriously injured 18-year-old man from the town of Lent at a gas station. The police believe he was severely beaten during a fight involving multiple people. According to Omroep Gelderland, the victim is a football fan, but a police spokesperson could not confirm that on Sunday evening.