Peruvian club Alianza Lima’s request for the Alejandro Villanueva stadium to be reopened has been denied by local authorities.
The stadium was temporarily closed for safety concerns by the local government after the death of a fan at a flag-waving event on April 3 — two days before Alianza’s derby with Universitario.
More than 60 supporters were also injured at the event.
Initial reports of the tragedy suggested parts of the stadium’s wall had collapsed, but Alianza Lima said there were no structural failures, as did a fire official.
Even so, the municipality of La Libertad, where the stadium is located, is not convinced.
“As the issues that led to the temporary closure have not been rectified, it is not appropriate to grant the request to lift the closure, and the precautionary measure must remain in force,” the municipality said in a statement.
The authorities added that “legal action” would be taken if the order is disregarded.
Peru’s health minister, Juan Carlos Velazo, visited on Sunday some of the injured fans in hospital, confirming that two remained in the Intensive Care Unit.
The Alejandro Villanueva Stadium, popularly known as Matute, was built in the 1970s and has a capacity of more than 33,900 seats.
Alianza Lima play at ADT on April 14 before hosting Cusco four days later in the domestic league.
