18 hurt, 3 seriously in French stadium barrier collapse

AMIENS: Eighteen Lille fans were hurt, including three seriously, in Amiens yesterday when a stadium barrier collapsed in the away section as supporters celebrated a goal in French league match.

The Ligue 1 fixture between Amiens and Lille was suspended in the 16th minute, and later abandoned, after a fence separating fans from the pitch crumbled under their weight as they celebrated a goal by Fode BalloToure. Several supporters tumbled around 1.5 metres down to the side of the pitch and were crushed by fellow fans before emergency services rushed to the scene to tend to the injured.

Ballo-Toure ran towards the section of visiting fans after scoring the opening goal, prompting a surge that caused the barrier to give way. Both teams were sent to the changing rooms as the match was halted initially before a French league official later said the game had been called off.

Amiens’ Stade de la Licorne is currently undergoing renovation work, with one stand at the compact arena closed for refurbishment. The stadium is the smallest of the 20 French Ligue 1 clubs. Repair work on the roofing is taking place throughout the 2017-18 season, Amiens’ first campaign in the top flight in club history. “The works are going to start in June and will be done stand by stand, at a rate of one stadium per trimester,” local politician Alain Gest said last May.