football
Storm Elli endangers Bundesliga games at the start of the year
The German Weather Service is predicting an extreme situation for Friday and Saturday morning. The German Football League is alarmed, the clubs are preparing accordingly – and fans are helping.
At the start of the year it will be uncomfortable in the Bundesliga stadiums, there is a risk of travel chaos and in some places Storm Elli could even cause games to be cancelled. The DFL is alarmed. “We are monitoring the weather situation and are communicating with those involved,” said a spokesman for the German Football League (DFL) when asked by the German Press Agency.
Severe winter weather with storms, snow and freezing rain is expected on Friday and Saturday, especially in the north and in Berlin. On Thursday afternoon, the DFL assumed that all Bundesliga games could take place on the weekend. But those responsible are also preparing for possible game cancellations.
Home game against Leipzig? Pauli doesn’t want to guarantee anything
“Given the weather situation, we cannot guarantee that the game can take place under the given circumstances,” wrote FC St. Pauli in a statement on its website. They are doing “the utmost” so that the home game against RB Leipzig can be played on Saturday (3:30 p.m./Sky). “However, the club has to wait and see how the weather situation develops and whether there will be further heavy snowfalls.”
The situation is similar in Bremen, where Werder’s home game against TSG Hoffenheim is scheduled to take place on Saturday afternoon. For this purpose, the home club hired 50 additional employees. They are supposed to ensure that the areas around the Weser Stadium can be cleared of snow and, if necessary, even cleared during the game. This is intended to ensure that spectators arrive and depart safely.
Union fans shovel snow
However, Werder appealed to travel by public transport if possible. It is still assumed that the game can take place, said Bremen’s media director Christoph Pieper: “I don’t dare judge what will happen if two meters of snow falls.”
Schools in Bremen and Hamburg will remain closed on Friday due to the storm. The German Weather Service has issued an official severe weather warning due to the predicted snowfall and stormy weather with gusts of up to 70 kilometers per hour.
At Union Berlin, the fans actively helped so that the home game on Saturday against FSV Mainz 05 and thus the reunion with former coach Urs Fischer could take place as planned. After a fan club call, some fans cleared the paths and entrance gates of ice and snow.
Stadium employees were deployed with several excavators to remove it. “As a precaution, you are welcome to bring your snow shovel from home,” the appeal said, according to “Bild”.
Eintracht sees no problems for the game against BVB
The first game of the 16th matchday takes place on Friday evening (8.30 p.m./Sky) in Frankfurt between Eintracht and Borussia Dortmund. “According to the assessment of the responsible authorities, there is currently no reason to assume that the game on Friday cannot take place as planned,” said Eintracht. “Through the stadium operator, we have deployed additional staff as a precautionary measure to clear snowfall, carry out gritting measures and ensure safety on the stadium site.”
VfB Stuttgart changed its travel plans at short notice due to the uncertainty. “We decided to fly the day before to avoid anything going wrong due to the weather,” said coach Sebastian Hoeneß before the game at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday (6.30 p.m./Sky).
Difficult journey for fans
Game cancellations in the upper house due to the pitch being unplayable have become rare given the mandatory pitch heating. In this case, the referee team must decide on site. The problem is the journey for the fans, who have to expect black ice and snow in the next few days. In addition, Deutsche Bahn has already announced delays and train cancellations in long-distance transport due to weather conditions.
In addition, venue operators can have the stadiums closed due to dangers, for example if snow avalanches could slide off the roof. For this reason and because of security risks and the traffic situation, the match between FC Bayern Munich and Union Berlin in the Allianz Arena was canceled in December 2023. In January 2024, the Berlin game in Mainz was canceled.
dpa
