No indication that Goffert Stadium is unsafe, Nijmegen mayor says after stands collapsed
There is no indication that the rest of the Goffert Stadium is unsafe, Mayor Hubert Bruls of Nijmegen said after part of the stands collapsed after the NEC vs. Vitesse derby on Sunday. A container under the stands prevented supporters from falling all the way to the ground. No one was injured, NOS reports.
According to Bruls, the collapse was caused by "a few meters of concrete broken in half." According to him, there were far more people than allowed on the part of the stands that collapsed.
An investigation into what caused this break is starting on Monday. "We can then decide on the basis of that what further investigation or steps are needed," Bruls said to NOS. "The stadium is 21 years old, and to my knowledge, no complaints or other observations have ever been made."
Bruls was at the stadium during the match when the stands collapsed. "My first concern was: casualties, injuries? Or worse. After half an hour, we were sure that hadn't happened, but this is extremely serious," he said to NOS.
It is not yet clear whether the Goffert Stadium will have to be closed for the time being. "Nothing has been decided on that yet, but there is little wrong with the football field. That specific part of the stands is now being looked at first. For the rest, there is no indication that the stadium is unsafe," Bruls said.
Football association KNVB told NOS that the Nijmegen Region Environment Agency did the annual constrictive safety inspection of the Goffert Stadium on January 13. Mayor Bruls and NEC director Wilco van Schaik signed the stadium safety document on February 9. The KNVB has been advocating for all stadiums to be inspected by a specialized agency for some time, a spokesperson said to the broadcaster. Two years ago, part of the AZ stadium's roof collapsed.
