Westerveld relives horror of Enschede

Sander Westerveld: heard about home town explosion just hours before match

Holland goalkeeper Sander Westerveld has revealed how he feared for the safety of his family caught up in the Dutch firework factory explosion as he played in Liverpool's final match of the season.

Westerveld was shocked to receive a phone call just an hour before be boarded the coach bound for Bradford City, telling him of the disaster that had shattered his home town of Enschede.

He said: "That was the reason I wore a black armband at Valley Parade.

"Enschede is my home town. I lived there for 20 years and when I heard that there had been a huge explosion I naturally became very worried about my family and friends. Fortunately they are all okay.

"But the father of my girlfriend was close to the incident. He got some glass cuts in his neck but he was able to help people into ambulances.

"My brother's girlfriend was on the tennis court close to the factory when the explosion happened and she was hit on the legs by some stones."

My parents said the centre of Enschede was like Sarajevo after it had been bombed. Everything in a range of 500 metres was destroyed and burned to the ground

Sander Westerveld

He added: "I didn't realise how big the explosion was at first. It was only when I spoke to my parents that I understood how bad it was. But getting through to Holland wasn't easy because all the phone lines were down for a long time.

"My parents said that the centre of Enschede was like Sarajevo after it had been bombed. Everything in a range of 500 metres was destroyed and burned to the ground as if a bomb had hit it."

Perspective

Liverpool lost 1-0 at Bradford, failing to clinch a place in the Champions League while the Yorkshire side saved themselves from relegation.

But Westerveld admitted that his whole build-up to the game had been wrecked by the terrible news coming from Enschede.

He said: "This awful news was in my mind all night before the Bradford game. I tried hard to switch off and think about the match and to go to sleep, but I couldn't. I was awake all night and it was terrible.

"On Sunday morning I contacted a few friends who assured me that all my close friends were all right."

Explosion put football into perspective for Westerveld

"An hour before I had got on the coach to leave for Bradford the day before, I got a phone call from Holland telling me about the explosion.

"Having seen the full reports on TV of what happened in Enschede I have to say that it puts everything, including football, into perspective.

"When I talk to my friends and family about what has happened in my home town, then it comes home to me that football is just a game and that there are more important things in life."