Shortly before the start of the match in Saarbrücken the cup quarter-final match against Gladbach was cancelled! the live broadcast in ZDF It had already started. But the current images did not bode well. Even the pros' warm-up was a real mud fight. Saarbrücken Square was completely under water until the end. Helpers attempted to dry the area with leaf blowers.
The German Football Federation announced that pitch conditions at the Ludwigsparkstadion did not allow the match to be played regularly. A catch-up date must be noisy DFB announce as soon as possible. They had previously qualified for the semifinals. Bundesliga-The leader Bayer Leverkusen and the second division teams Fortuna Düsseldorf and 1. FC Kaiserslautern qualified.
Large puddles of water had formed on the grass of the Ludwigsparkstadion in Saarbrücken. Referee Florian Badstübner initially sent both teams onto the field to warm up, but seven minutes before the scheduled start at 8:45 p.m. the cancellation occurred amid whistles from the fans. The Gladbach fans set off the fireworks they were carrying.
Referee: “The pitch is in disastrous condition”
According to referee Badstübner, the expulsion was inevitable due to the risk of injury to the players. “When you see the field, you can't play on it. The risk of injury was too great for me,” Badstübner said on Wednesday afternoon shortly after the cancellation. “The place is in disastrous condition.”
The referee continued: “Saarbrücken tried everything so that we could play. There were many personnel on the field to somehow clean the water on the field, but they could not do it. Then, during the warm-up, it was seen how the players only warmed up in one place, no matter how broken the field was. “Then it became clear that we couldn't play.”
Shortly before the start, the cup was canceled
When both delegations arrived at the stadium about two hours before the scheduled start time of the match, they were very surprised. Although it had rained all day in Saarland, most people did not expect the place to be so affected. So the hustle and bustle on the sidelines quickly began, there were many discussions. The official lineups were published 70 minutes before the scheduled start time. “We have to wait and see what happens,” Mönchengladbach sporting director Nils Schmadtke told the German Press Agency, adding with a laugh: “We definitely don't have the rubber boots with us.”
Curiosity: at the end of October the third division match against Dynamo Dresden in Saarbrücken was canceled because the pitch was not available after heavy rain. The second round cup match against FC Bayern Three days later, Munich remained in limbo for a long time. In the end the match could be played: Saarbrücken sensationally eliminated the record champions and the record cup winners with a score of 2-1.
The DFB Cup quarterfinals LIVE from Joyn
1. FC Saarbruecken – Borussia Mönchengladbach
02/07/2024 | 20:45