Omroep Gelderland will immediately stop reporting on football matches. This is made known by editor-in-chief Sandrina Hadderingh after another reporter team from the regional broadcaster was attacked on Sunday. “It is very bitter, but we will stay away from football matches from now on. It is impossible to report events outside the stadium.”
Hundreds of NEC supporters sought confrontation with police, reported Broadcasting Gelderland. A journalist from the regional broadcaster would also have been threatened by supporters outside the stadium. Someone also ran over his foot with a scooter. “We are considering reporting and will certainly report to Persveilig”, emphasizes Hadderingh.
It is not the first time reporters from the broadcaster have been cornered. “It is yet another incident. Earlier this year, journalists from the broadcaster ran for their lives after the missed promotion at De Graafschap. Chased by angry ‘fans’ they were able to reach the car in time. A fellow journalist was even hit,” it sounds.
“It seems that threats are part of our profession, but that is of course nonsense,” said the editor-in-chief on the website of Omroep Gelderland. “Our people must be able to do their work safely and that is no longer possible in many places today. We have already experienced several incidents at protests and football matches and we will no longer expose our people to it.”
Omroep Gelderland will continue to report online. “We are relatively safe in the stadium. Unfortunately, interviewing fans in the stadium is prohibited. ESPN claims the rights and will not tolerate other cameras in the stadium. We are therefore dependent on the public space for news reporting and that is not safe,” said Hadderingh, who will keep her reporters away from De Goffert in the future.
Mayor is ashamed
Hubert Bruls, mayor of Nijmegen, is not at all pleased with the NEC supporters who caused riots on Sunday afternoon. “I dare not even call them supporters. I thought it was a total failure,” he said Monday morning at Radio 1. In addition to the fan riots before and after the game, hurtful chants were heard, full beer glasses were thrown on the field and a grandstand collapsed.
“After the game, NEC supporters turned against the police in Nijmegen today. Officers were attacked with, among other things, tree stumps and stones. A lot of violence was used,” the police said. “Officers suffered minor injuries and horses were also injured.” More than twenty people have been arrested and more arrests are not ruled out after all camera images have been examined.
Mayor Bruls is ashamed of the behavior of the NEC fans. “I dare not even call them supporters. “I thought it was a total failure,” said Bruls. “On the Nijmegen side, it concerns a few hundred of whom I wonder, with all due respect, what they want to do for the rest of their lives. It was bad on the field, bad in the stands and bad afterwards. As mayor of Nijmegen, I am ashamed of a large number of my fellow citizens.” The derby between NEC and Vitesse resulted in a succession of several lows.
According to Bruls, the behavior of the NEC supporters who caused the riots is unacceptable. “We will evaluate this thoroughly and then we will take steps, because I never want to experience this again. It makes no sense, terrible,” he says clearly. “The police were able to ensure that the supporters did not continue with each other through good intervention, but then they started throwing stones and sticks at the police. Fortunately, the Vitesse supporters were eventually taken away safely, but it could have been much worse. If you let these people have their way, I don’t know where it ends.”
The mayor does not yet know whether it is wiser to play the Gelderse derby without away fans from now on. “That has been the case in the past. In the last derby four years ago it seemed to be going better. We relaxed things at the time, but now we are back to square one: we are going to put this all together firmly.” According to NEC director Wilco van Schaik, it must be decided that away fans are no longer welcome at the derby between NEC and Vitesse. “That’s the only conclusion you can draw if you let it get out of hand like that. It is a shame that we have to play football like this in the Netherlands. This is not appropriate. Then the good will have to suffer again for the bad.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhcQgnp6ozQ