Friday, October 22, 2021 at 6:42 PM• Mart Oude Nijeweeme • Last update: 18:45

NEC strongly takes into account that the upcoming home games must be played in an empty Goffert stadium, the club announced on Friday evening via a message on the website. The Nijmegen club saw the stadium closed after part of the branch collapsed in the derby against Vitesse. NEC has been looking for an alternative to complete its home games, but has so far been unsuccessful in both the Netherlands and Germany. NEC will play the next home games against FC Groningen (October 31), sc Heerenveen (November 6) and SC Cambuur (November 26).

After the match against Vitesse (0-1 loss), a stand in the Goffert Stadium collapsed under the weight of hustling away supporters. The grandstand largely remained suspended thanks to a metal container that happened to be underneath. To make matters worse, things also went wrong outside the stadium after the game, which makes it difficult for NEC to find a suitable alternative to finish the home games. “With the events of last weekend in mind, NEC is currently not doing well at several municipalities,” can be read on the club site.

“After several discussions between different clubs and municipalities, the ideal solution has still not been found,” the report continues. “Facilitating the matches at a different location becomes more unlikely, while playing in an empty Goffert stadium may still be an option. The locations where NEC hoped to play its matches dropped out for various reasons. The chance that NEC will travel to Germany is nil. For now, NEC is focusing on an option that previously seemed impossible: playing in its own Goffert stadium, but without an audience. The club is currently discussing this with the municipality.”

The club emphasizes that an empty Goffert stadium is not preferred. “Nevertheless, the stadiums of the clubs with which NEC is still in talks are all located at least an hour and a half drive from Nijmegen. The club is aware that this is also not a desirable situation for its supporters and business members. In addition to playing football in its own Goffert stadium, NEC is looking at the options to find some locations in the city willing to receive supporters through screens – showing the NEC match.”