Seven minutes before kick-off
DFB Cup clash in Saarbrücken has been cancelled
The quarter-final game in the DFB Cup between 1. FC Saarbrücken and Borussia Mönchengladbach is canceled due to poor pitch conditions. Continuous heavy rain makes the course unplayable. The last semi-finalist will therefore only be determined late.
The last semi-finalist in the DFB Cup will only be determined with a delay: The quarter-final between 1. FC Saarbrücken and Borussia Mönchengladbach planned for the evening was canceled due to the weather: the pitch conditions in the Ludwigsparkstadion did not allow the game to be played regularly, said the German Football Association. Covenant with. “If you see the pitch, you can't play on it. The risk of injury was too great for me,” said referee Florian Badstübner shortly after the cancellation. “The place is in a disastrous condition.”
Due to persistent heavy rain, large pools of water had formed on the pitch in Ludwigspark, and helpers tried to make the pitch usable with leaf blowers until a few minutes before the planned kick-off. Vain.
The stadium lacks a professional drainage system and the water drains significantly worse than at almost all other German professional football locations. After an initial inspection of the pitch by Badstübner, the initial plan was that the decision about kick-off or cancellation would be made when both teams were warming up.
The spectators were informed with whistles at 8:38 p.m. that the game would be postponed due to the incalculable risk of injury to the players. The players from both teams briefly went to their respective fan corners, then headed back to the dressing rooms. An alternative date is not fixed yet. Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen and second division teams Fortuna Düsseldorf and 1. FC Kaiserslautern had previously qualified for the semi-finals.
Even before third division team 1. FC Saarbrücken's sensational second-round win against FC Bayern Munich at the end of October, the pitch in Saarland had caused concern: 1. FC Saarbrücken's league game against Dynamo Dresden a few days before the cup clash was abandoned at half-time, with 2: 1 victory for the outsider, the pitch then caused serious displeasure among the stars of the record champions. With Eintracht Frankfurt, sensational team Saarbrücken eliminated a second Bundesliga team on their way to the quarter-finals.
