On Monday evening, Denmark team player Andreas Skov Olsen discovered a deep hole in the lawn immediately after the 2-1 win in the Prater-Oval. TV pictures finally showed that the hole had already formed in the last few minutes of the Nations League duel. When the 22-year-old climbed down into the hole, his lower leg almost completely disappeared into the ground.
Investigation! Happel-Loch becomes a case for the authorities
Accurate investigations
The rains of Monday night and the resulting rise in the level of the Danube were quickly identified as the cause of the hole. This also caused the groundwater level to rise, pressing on the lawn from below and cavities forming.
After ÖFB match: Mbappé and Co celebrate here today.
Happel hole? France star: “It was hard to believe”
The course in the Happel oval was finally examined for two days by two special companies, using a magnetic resonance procedure to search for further cavities, before the UEFA gave the go-ahead late on Wednesday evening. So nothing stood in the way of the football hit against France.
“Then there is a murder lawsuit”
Austria’s football icon Herbert Prohaska now hopes that there will be no similar mishaps against “Les Bleus”. Also for the benefit of the city of Vienna, which as the stadium operator is also responsible for the lawn. “If one of the French superstars climbs into such a hole and breaks his leg, the city of Vienna can file for bankruptcy. Then there is a murder lawsuit,” joked the “ORF” analyst.
ÖFB Managing Director Bernhard Neuhold does not hope for that. “The floodlights were subjected to a test run. The turf was finished yesterday morning. That’s why the final training sessions could take place in the stadium again. There was no negative feedback,” said Neuhold. Hope it stays that way…
