29 People Injured As French Football Stadium Barrier Collapses

Twenty-nine fans were injured on Saturday when a barrier collapsed 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 one and a half metres (five feet) and were crushed by other fans who fell on top of them. Injuries included head, chest and abdominal trauma.

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.

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.

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