After Monday’s game against Denmark (1:2), a hole about 20 centimeters deep formed on the playing field in Vienna’s Prater, which could have been caused by the heavy rain. The international match against France, which was sold out with more than 45,000 spectators, can only take place on Friday if there is no threat of renewed turf damage.
According to the ÖFB, a decision as to whether the Nations League game can be played should be made after a meeting with representatives of the local football association, UEFA and the stadium operator Wiener Sportstätten Betriebsgesellschaft mbH on (today) Wednesday evening (6:30 p.m.).
Experts have been working on behalf of the Wiener Sportstätten since Tuesday to get to the bottom of the unusual lawn problem. First of all, the technical components such as the irrigation system, turf heating, drainage and the main rainwater sewer, which crosses the playing field approximately at the height of the hole and was scanned with a camera after cleaning, were checked. Everything tight, the check revealed. “From our point of view, a technical failure of a built-in part can be ruled out,” explained Manfred Faly, spokesman for the Wiener Sportstätten.
Heavy rain as the cause
In addition, the damaged area around the hole was excavated and sent to an expert, who also ruled out a technical defect. It is therefore assumed that the heavy rain of up to 50 liters per square meter led to a rise in the groundwater level due to the nearby Danube and thus to the formation of a cavity.
The hole was closed and to rule out further cavities, the turf was examined on Wednesday using magnetic resonance imaging and ground-penetrating radar. Two expert companies covered the entire 8,000 square meters with their devices, and the data should be evaluated by the evening, explained Faly. In the event that further damage should arise, all the necessary materials including the turf are on site and usable immediately.
Source: Nachrichten
