29 football fans hurt as French stadium barrier collapses

Members of the stadium staff stand by the stadium barrier that collapsed during the French L1 football match between Amiens and Lille LOSC on September 30, 2017 at the Licorne stadium in Amiens. Several Lille supporters were hurt in Amiens when a stadium barrier collapsed in the away section as the visiting fans celebrated the opening goal of the match. The Ligue 1 fixture was interrupted in the 16th minute after LOSC French defender Fode Ballo-Toure’s goal sparked celebrations that caused a fence separating the fans from the pitch to crumble under their weight.
/ AFP PHOTO / FRANCOIS LO PRESTI

Twenty-nine fans were hurt, five of them seriously, when a barrier collapsed Saturday at a stadium in the northern French city of Amiens as away supporters celebrated their opening goal.

A fence separating Lille fans from the pitch gave way as they surged forward to celebrate the goal against Amiens, a regional rival that has just been promoted to the top flight in French football.

Several tumbled about 1.5 meters (five feet) and were crushed by other fans who fell on top of them. Injuries included head, chest and abdominal trauma, medical authorities said.

Referee Thomas Leonard suspended the match in the 16th minute as Red Cross and emergency workers rushed to help the injured. The fixture was later abandoned.

“It happened all of a sudden. I don’t even know who scored. It just suddenly fell on me. I couldn’t hear anything, I couldn’t see anything and then the emergency workers took me away,” said Georges Penel, a 21-year-old Lille fan who suffered injuries to his leg and back.

The prefecture of the Somme department gave a provisional toll of 29 hurt, five of them seriously. Among the injured were three minors, all in their teens, medical authorities said.

The incident happened when Lille’s Fode Ballo-Toure ran towards the section of visiting fans after scoring the opening goal, prompting a surge that caused the barrier to give way.

Built in 1999, the Stade de la Licorne (“Stadium of the Unicorn”) is the smallest of the 20 French Ligue 1 clubs, with a capacity of only 12,000.

Renovation work is taking place throughout the 2017-18 season, as newly-promoted Amiens brings the ground up to a higher standard.

‘Hardcore fans’ 

The venue boasts an eye-catching, futuristic design with a transparent roof, which is being renovated. The seats are also being progressively replaced under the 7.5-million-euro ($8.9-million) scheme.

Amiens public prosecutor Alexandre de Bosschere said an investigation had been opened into “accidental injury”, focusing on why the barrier gave way.

“We have put legal seals on the site (to bar access to it), and an assessment will be carried out in the next few days.”

The club’s president Bernard Joannin dismissed any idea that there were problems with the barrier.

“The police had warned us that there were 200 hardcore fans, really wound up, who were in the section set aside for Lille fans. They surged forward, chaotically, more than 500 people, against this barrier, which was in perfect condition.”

Back in May, local politician Alain Gest had suggested that upkeep of the stadium had been neglected by previous local administrations but was now “perfectly in line with regulations” and “up to standards for playing in Ligue 1”.