A coroner has asked for a police investigation into how Billy Vigar died to consider contact between the footballer and another player during the match.
Chichester City player Vigar, 21, suffered a brain injury after he collided with a concrete barrier trying to keep a ball in play during a match at Wingate and Finchley on September 20.
Vigar was taken to St Mary’s Hospital in Westminster, where he was placed in an induced coma. He died on September 25.
Senior coroner Andrew Walker asked the Metropolitan Police to widen the scope of its investigation at a hearing at Barnet Coroner’s Court on Tuesday.
Mr Walker said: “What I would like the investigation to cover is the nature of the contact between the two players involved.”
The court did not hear any further details about the reasons behind the request.
Appearing via video link, DS Colin Chandler told the court the Met’s investigation into Vigar’s death is ongoing and there are further lines of inquiry yet to be explored.
A health and safety investigation is also underway and is being led by Barnet Council.
Environmental health manager Obi Oranu said the council had made use of its powers to request footage of the incident to help with its investigation and will share this with the coroner.
When asked by Mr Walker if the Wingate and Finchley football ground is now safe to play on, Mr Oranu confirmed that the concrete wall Vigar collided with has been removed.
Mr Oranu said the council will gather further information from the Football Association (FA) and Vigar’s football club about health and safety procedures and expects the council’s investigation to conclude in early January.
Appearing on behalf of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFS) via video link, Ben Wright said the organisation wants to see a “full and formal” investigation into Vigar’s death.
Mr Wright said: “We’re very keen, not just in relation to the tragic incident involving Billy, but our wider membership, that there is a full and formal investigation into the circumstances around Billy’s death.
“This is an issue we’ve been actively working on for many years now. We’re keen to see that the investigation take place as fully and formally as possible.”
A new date for the inquest will be confirmed once Barnet Council has contacted the coroner to advise on a timeline for its investigation.
Addressing Vigar’s family, who attended the hearing in-person, Mr Walker said: “This is not going to be a short process to an inquest here, so please bear with us. There are a lot of steps and I’m anxious that each step is taken carefully.”
On September 19, the FA announced that it would undertake a review of pitch perimeter safety, but the association has drawn criticism for being too slow to act.
Former Bath City player Alex Fletcher fractured his skull after colliding with an advertising board reinforced with concrete blocks in 2022.
Following the incident, the PFS and Stuart Andrew, the then sports minister, wrote to the FA, the Premier League, the English Football League and the National League, calling on them to proactively review pitch perimeter safety.
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