The last of four DFB Cup quarter-final games between 1. FC Saarbrücken and Borussia Mönchengladbach was canceled at short notice on Wednesday evening after heavy rain. The German Football Association (DFB) announced that the field conditions in the Ludwigsparkstadion did not allow the game to be played regularly.
The DFB would like to “announce a catch-up date as quickly as possible in coordination with both teams”. The draw for the semi-final games will take place on Saturday from 11 p.m. with a double draw (Saarbrücken/Mönchengladbach) in the ZDF sports studio. This could lead to an exchange of home rights after the game has been played, because Saarbrücken would definitely enjoy this as a third division club in contrast to first division club Gladbach. The semi-final participants that have already been determined are Bayer Leverkusen, Fortuna Düsseldorf and 1. FC Kaiserslautern.
Large pools of water had formed on the lawn of Saarbrücken’s Ludwigsparkstadion. Helpers tried to dry the area with leaf blowers, but were ultimately unable to do so sufficiently. There is no functioning drainage. Referee Florian Badstüber initially sent both teams onto the field to warm up, but seven minutes before the scheduled kick-off at 8:45 p.m. the cancellation followed to the whistles of the fans. The Gladbach supporters fired pyrotechnics that they had brought with them.
“Risk of injury too great”
According to Badstübner, the cancellation was unavoidable because of the risk of injury to the players. “When you see the pitch, you can’t play on it. The risk of injury was too great for me,” said the referee on Wednesday evening shortly after the decision. “The place is in a disastrous condition.”
“Saarbrücken tried everything so that we could play. There were a lot of staff on the pitch to somehow clear the pitch of water, but they couldn’t do it,” said Badstübner. “Then when we were warming up you saw how the players were only warming up in one spot, no matter how broken the pitch was. Then it was clear we couldn’t play.”
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Constant rain before the Gladbach game: DFB Cup quarter-finals in Saarbrücken canceled
When both delegations arrived at the stadium around two hours before the scheduled kick-off time, they were very surprised. Although it had rained all day in Saarland, most people hadn’t expected the place to be so affected. So the hustle and bustle quickly began on the sidelines and there were many discussions.
Official lineups were published 70 minutes before the scheduled kick-off time. “We have to wait and see what happens,” Mönchengladbach’s sports director Nils Schmadtke told the German Press Agency and added with a laugh: “We definitely don’t have the rubber boots with us.” When substitute goalkeeper Jan Olschowsky stood in front of him after warming up, completely dirty, said Schmadtke: “My son should come home like this…”
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Saarbrücken’s coach Rüdiger Ziehl was initially optimistic: “Of course we’ll play.” Things turned out differently. “The process was completely fine because you have to try everything. In the district league the game would probably have been canceled much quicker,” said Gladbach’s sports director Roland Virkus: “The boys came in and said there are places that, even with the best will in the world, won’t work. And the weather conditions are expected to get even worse.”
A catch-up date should be found quickly. Both of them don’t play internationally, so I think we’ll find a date,” said Virkus: “Of course you have to see how long such conditions last for the pitch to be playable.” One was disappointed about the cancellation, but saw it There was also something positive in the cancellation: Patrick Herrmann, professional from Gladbach and native of Saarland. “Let’s come again,” said the former national player and was looking forward to another visit home.
Saarbrücken’s sports director Jürgen Luginger explained: “The ball doesn’t roll, the risk of injury is too great. That made sense. We’ll try to repeat it as soon as possible. But there is still rain forecast for the next few days, so I don’t know whether next week is an option.” Gladbach’s coach Gerardo Seoane said on the microphone on the TV channel Sky: “It’s the right decision, even if it’s a shame for them Spectators who wanted to see a spectacle. But that wasn’t possible today.”
Curious: At the end of October, the third division game against Dynamo Dresden in Saarbrücken was canceled because the pitch was unplayable after heavy rain. The second round cup game against FC Bayern Munich three days later was therefore hanging in the balance for a long time. The game was ultimately able to be played, with Saarbrücken sensationally knocking the record champions and record cup winners out of the competition with a 2-1 score.