HSV’s home game against Borussia Mönchengladbach takes place

AUDIO: HSV game against Gladbach takes place (1 min)

So-called height rescuers successfully cleared the roof membrane of snow and ice, according to the HSV. The closure of the stadium is scheduled to be lifted on Friday afternoon. Coach Merlin Polzin is looking forward to the first home game of the new year: He is happy “that we don’t have to wait too long until we can play a game in the Volkspark again.”

After the last-minute cancellation of the game against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday evening, the roof was cleared for work at height on Wednesday; the ongoing thaw had an additional positive impact on the situation. Now structural engineers and those responsible for HSV gave the green light. The safety of the spectators on Saturday (3:30 p.m., in the NDR Livecenter) is guaranteed, according to Hamburger SV.

Hamburg’s game against Borussia can take place. Coach Merlin Polzin’s team urgently needs points in the bottom of the table.

Twelve high-altitude rescuers “in action non-stop”

Work will continue on two areas of the roof membrane until Friday. According to HSV, twelve high-altitude rescuers are “in constant use to push remaining snow and ice off the stadium roof in certain places in the north and southwest.”

On Wednesday, structural engineers at the Volksparkstadion inspected the roof, which was affected by condensation, for damage.

Snow and water had accumulated in these areas late on Tuesday afternoon and led to pronounced dents in the roof membrane, which also caused the catwalk hanging underneath – a walkway for technical work under the roof – to become partially significantly tilted. “Theoretically, the membrane could have torn and the catwalk could have fallen into the spectators. Accordingly, a safety risk for people cannot be ruled out,” explained stadium director Daniel Nolte.

Catwalk almost back to normal position

According to the HSV, up to 350 kilograms of snow and condensation water per square meter were measured in some places on the roof structure. They should be completely removed by Friday afternoon. The catwalk has now risen over 30 centimeters and is almost in its normal position. There is no lasting damage. “The remaining snow on the roof will now thaw as planned in the next few days and drain away normally,” said Nolte.

The catch-up game against Leverkusen will probably be a long time coming

The DFL wants to decide on rescheduling the match against Leverkusen as quickly as possible. But a timely date is not possible: Leverkusen is in the DFB Cup quarter-finals (on February 3rd against FC St. Pauli) and is still playing in the Champions League. That’s why the game at HSV can’t be rescheduled until the second week of February at the earliest.

The cards remain valid. The HSV announced that those who have bought a day ticket but cannot attend the rescheduled match have “the option of canceling their tickets free of charge”. Unfortunately, the club cannot accept liability for “wasted expenses – such as travel, accommodation or other additional costs”.

Bayer Leverkusen will reimburse the costs of the 3,500 fans who traveled with them, the club announced on Wednesday. The club also asked “fans who cannot travel to the catch-up game to return their tickets in order to give other fans the chance to get tickets.”