For the first time since weather records began, temperatures in England are expected to rise above 40 degrees Celsius. The German team has a day off today and won’t play again until Thursday. In the EM preliminary round group D, it is meanwhile about the last ticket for the quarter-finals.
While the picture in the stadiums hardly differs from normal, there is hardly a blade of green grass left in large parts of England. The otherwise famous English lawn has fallen victim to the temperatures and the lack of rain. The world-famous Hyde Park in London resembles a steppe, in which only the trees with much deeper roots are reminiscent of the old beauty.
Because, in view of the temperatures to be expected, there are “risks to life and limb” not only among people from the risk groups, the Met Office in Great Britain, which is responsible for national weather forecasts, has declared a red alert for the first time ever. The highest temperature ever recorded in England is 38.7 degrees – on July 25, 2019 in Cambridge. Now it should go up to 40 degrees in the London area.
Monday off, Tuesday early training
The German soccer players will probably do it this Monday (July 18th, 2022) like most Englishmen: Direct sunlight and excessive exercise should be avoided. The match schedule for the European Championship and the training schedule of national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg means well for the players: first a day off and on Tuesday, when it’s supposed to get a little warmer, a training session in the morning.
Being in such heat all the time is kind of uncool too.
Alexandra Popp wanted to sleep in at the start of the week, the captain announced at the press conference on Sunday. “I don’t have any big plans. It’s kind of uncool to be in such heat all the time,” said the 31-year-old, who says she also “tends to sunburn quickly.”
Either air-conditioned rooms or shady spots in the hotel garden should be in demand. Certainly the ice bucket too. But the crowds may be limited. “Some still have family and friends here who will probably be on the road then,” explained Popp.
The grass cracks and rustles under the soles of your shoes
As soon as the DFB women leave their hotel, which is actually perfectly situated in the green landscape of Syon Park with its cow pasture, all they can see is dried grass far and wide. Luckily for the cattle there are at least a few shady trees.
It cracks and rustles under the soles of your shoes when you step on the lawn in London’s parks. Plants only have a chance at all where there is extra watering. And so, on the large lawn where Kew Cricket Club is based, not far from Brentford Community Stadium, you can see at first glance where the club members maintain their pitch with a water sprinkler.
The burnt lawn in London’s Hyde Park.
France, Iceland, Belgium and Italy have to go
European Championship football will not be offered again in Brentford until next Thursday (July 21, 2022/9 p.m., live on Erste and on sportschau.de). Tonight, however, there are still the decisive games in Group D, in which Iceland, Belgium and Italy are still fighting for the last quarter-final ticket.
France and Iceland, already confirmed as group winners, meet in Rotherham, while Italy and Belgium meet in Manchester, where the temperature is “only” 37 and 36 degrees respectively. Even if the whistle doesn’t sound until 8 p.m. local time, it will still be well over 30 degrees warm.
Report: UEFA considering drinking breaks
According to information from “ESPN”, UEFA will decide at short notice in the stadiums whether there should be drinking breaks for the first time at the EM. If the temperatures exceed the 32-degree mark shortly before kick-off, drinking breaks should therefore be mandatory. Otherwise, the referees can order them themselves. In the game against Finland, the Germans used Giulia Gwinn’s treatment break to drink on the bench.
Tuesday, possibly the hottest day in English history, is a game-free day for everyone. And when the quarter-finals begin on Wednesday, it should have cooled down significantly. But rain is not in sight until the weekend, at least for London.