German fury at City washout
Game called off after washout
BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH have criticised the decision to reschedule last night’s rained off Champions League clash with Manchester City to 7.45pm tonight. Flash floods caused last night’s tie to be postponed 20 minutes before kick-off amid safety concerns around the stadium — even though the pitch looked playable. The visitors wanted to play at 6pm tonight so they could fly back to Germany. Club spokesman Markus Aretz said: ‘We asked UEFA and City to play at 6pm but City could not make that possible. I don’t know why. We’re not happy with that, but that’s it.’
MANCHESTER City’s opponents Borussia Monchengladbach reacted with dismay last night after their Champions League Group C tie was called off 20 minutes before kick- off at the etihad and rescheduled for this evening.
Although the pitch was playable after fierce thunderstorms in Manchester, the game was postponed due to concerns for the safety and security of fans in the areas surrounding the stadium. The clubs were then locked in talks with UEFA before a kick-off time of 7.45pm tonight was announced.
Monchengladbach wanted to play at 6pm today because it would have allowed them to fly home after the game, but City were unable to staff the event so early in the evening.
The Premier League club have offered their opponents use of the 32 en suite bedrooms at their training complex, but Monchengladbach officials are likely to decline.
Their supporters were also unhappy, with only a quarter of the 1,600 fans at the etihad last night expected to be able to attend the rescheduled game.
The Bundesliga club’s spokesman Markus Aretz said: ‘For sporting reasons we wanted to play the match earlier and fly back to Germany tomorrow evening. That was important to us, but City couldn’t make that possible. now we have to take it like it is.
‘I don’t know the reasons, but they said we had to play at 7.45pm. I think there were security reasons or something. You would have to ask them. So we had to make the decision to play at 7.45pm. We’re not happy with that, but that’s it.
‘City offered us the chance to spend the next night in their academy, but that would have made no difference because the hotel wasn’t a problem. We wanted to fly back tomorrow.
‘I think it’s always a disadvantage when you have to stay one day longer than is planned.’
Monchengladbach’s director of sport Max eberl added: ‘It’s a pity. The conditions tomorrow will be more difficult with very few fans here to support us.’ After a sunny day in Manchester, late afternoon downpours had escalated into the thunderstorms. Metrolink services were shut down and flash floods were causing a problem in parts of the city.
By 6.45pm, areas of the playing surface were under pools of water. A pitch inspection was conducted by Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers and a delegation of officials shortly afterwards, but they were not satisfied that the ball would roll sufficiently.
The storms had eased off sig- nificantly quarter of an hour later, and the pitch looked playable when City’s head groundsman Lee Jackson carried out an inspection of his own.
But the match was called off at 7.25pm — four minutes before officials were due to carry out a second inspection — because of the conditions outside.
Very few City fans had been allowed into the stadium last night, but the Monchengladbach supporters made their feelings known — particularly when some of City’s coaching staff came back out on to the pitch after the postponement and began passing the ball around freely, demonstrating that the surface was playable.
Borussia defender Oscar Wendt said: ‘It’s hard because we prepared for this match, but it’s harder for our supporters because they had a long journey and bought tickets. ninety per cent have to leave tomorrow so they can’t see the game.’