HOUSTON (AP) — Saturday’s crowd World Cup match between Netherlands and Sweden Due to lightning in the area, participants were instructed to evacuate the area after the contest.
Immediately after the final whistle, which the Netherlands won 5-1, an announcement was made and warnings were posted on giant video boards at both ends of the stadium.
Stadium officials did not physically stop fans from leaving the stadium, but asked them to remain inside the stadium for about 30 minutes after the game, as rain continued to pour in. FIFA did not immediately respond to an email asking for the exact time when the evacuation shelters in place will be lifted.
The overwhelmingly pro-Dutch crowd of 68,777 danced and cheered to the music as they all waited to be safely ejected from Houston Stadium (FIFA’s name for the stadium, home of the Houston Texans and known to NFL fans as NRG Stadium).
___
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
