In the end, the fight against the masses of water was hopeless: the DFB Cup quarter-final between 1. FC Saarbrücken and Borussia Mönchengladbach was canceled shortly before kick-off after heavy rain. Not all viewers agreed with this.
Heavy rain and an unplayable pitch prevented the DFB Cup quarter-final game between 1. FC Saarbrücken and Borussia Mönchengladbach from taking place on Wednesday evening. Shortly before the scheduled kick-off at 8:45 p.m., referee Florian Badstübner decided to cancel the game. Both teams had already warmed up.
“When you see the pitch, you can’t play on it. The risk of injury was too great for me,” said the referee shortly after the cancellation. “The place is in a disastrous condition.”
DFB Cup semi-finals in Saarbrücken canceled
Helpers had tried for hours to clear the lawn in the sold-out Ludwigsparkstadion in Saarbrücken from the masses of water, including using leaf blowers – in vain, especially as the rain continued. 16,000 fans and the two teams had to return without having achieved anything. Many spectators acknowledged the cancellation of the game with shouts of “Shit DFB” from the stands. The Gladbach supporters fired pyrotechnics that they had brought with them.
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ZDF canceled its live broadcast from Saarbrücken and instead showed the film “Marie Brand and the Fate of Love”.
It is not yet clear when the game between the first and third division teams will be rescheduled. “The DFB will announce a catch-up date as quickly as possible in coordination with both teams,” said the German Football Association on Wednesday evening.
The draw for the DFB Cup semi-finals should take place as planned on Saturday evening in the “Aktuelle Sportstudio” (11 p.m. on ZDF, 10:30 p.m. in the ZDF media library) – then with a double draw. Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart and second division clubs Fortuna Düsseldorf and 1. FC Kaiserslautern had already secured their tickets for the round of the last four (April 2nd and 3rd). The final of the DFB Cup will take place on May 25th in the Berlin Olympic Stadium.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated several times since it was first published.
Sources: ZDF, , news agency DPA
Source: Stern
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