The quarter-finals in the DFB Cup between third division team 1. FC Saarbrücken and Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach have been canceled because the pitch is unplayable.
Those responsible around referee Florian Badstübner decided this a few minutes before the planned kick-off on Wednesday evening. Heavy rainfall had damaged the lawn and there is no functioning drainage system in Ludwigspark.
Helpers had previously tried for hours to clear the playing field of water using leaf blowers. “Of course we will play,” said Saarbrücken coach Rüdiger Ziehl optimistically just an hour before the planned start. After both teams had warmed up, the decision was made not to play the game.
At the end of October, Saarbrücken’s third division game against Dynamo Dresden was canceled after the first half because the pitch was unplayable.