Onset of winter over northern Germany
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This article was first published at 2:04 p.m. and was updated after the game in Bremen was canceled.
The onset of winter in northern Germany has led to the first game cancellations in the Bundesliga. As FC St. Pauli initially announced on Friday, the game against RB Leipzig will not take place on Saturday. Werder Bremen’s game against TSG Hoffenheim on the same day also falls through. The Green-Whites confirmed this a little later on Friday afternoon.
“The reason for the cancellation is significant slipperiness in the circulation areas, spectator areas and traffic areas in the Weser Stadium as well as significant snow drifts in large parts of the stadium area. This results in restricted access and the resulting unsafe use of rescue and escape routes. Based on the current forecasts, it cannot be guaranteed that a condition can be created at the start of the game that meets the safety requirements of a Bundesliga game. Against the background of slippery roads and cancellations in the Local and long-distance transport cannot ensure the safe arrival of visitors to the stadium,” said the club statement. The tickets remain valid and a new schedule will take place in the coming days.
The Kiezkickers explained: “Due to the current weather conditions with heavy snowfall and snowdrifts, the safety of the meeting place and the safe implementation of the event in compliance with all operating regulations cannot be guaranteed, so that the Millerntorstadion was closed for the upcoming game in consultation with the Millerntor Stadion operating company by a decision of the executive board of FC St. Pauli eV.”
In the past few days, the FCSP and many helpers had repeatedly cleared snow and ice from the playing field, stands and traffic areas. However, this proved to be almost impossible, particularly on the roof surfaces.
Bundesliga game cancellations have become rarer – fans’ travel is the problem
Game cancellations in the upper house due to the pitch being unplayable have become rare given the mandatory pitch heating. In this case, the referee team must decide on site. The problem is the journey for the fans, who have to expect black ice and snow. In addition, Deutsche Bahn had already announced delays and train cancellations in long-distance transport due to weather conditions.
In addition, venue operators can have the stadiums closed due to dangers, for example if snow avalanches could slide off the roof. For this reason and because of security risks and the traffic situation, the match between FC Bayern Munich and Union Berlin in the Allianz Arena was canceled in December 2023. In January 2024, the Berlin game in Mainz was canceled.
The German Weather Service had already predicted extreme weather conditions with heavy snowfall for Friday. Things got particularly uncomfortable from Friday night onwards. According to the warning from the German Weather Service, eastern Germany, the Harz and the region between Bremen and Hamburg are particularly affected.