The city council of Sheffield blocked the north grandstand of the Hillsborough stadium last week due to structural defects. The stadium section, built in 1960, is said to have structural deficits and serious problems with the electrical system and is “no longer safe for viewers”, as it was said. The grandstand may only be used again after extensive renovations. The Hillsborough Stadium is also the place of the largest stadium tragedy in Europe, which occurred 36 years ago and cost 97 people.
There was also restlessness on the coaching bench of Sheffield Wednesday. The German head coach Danny Röhl, who only took over the club last October and led to relegation in his first season, left the club at the end of July, shortly before the start of the season. In a post in social media, the German thanked the club for “21 unforgettable months”. But this trip has come to its end, says Röhl.
It was only on Thursday that Sheffield presented a new head coach with Henrik Pedersen, previously Röhl’s assistant. Friendship games or a season preparation tour were not set – which is hardly surprising in view of the personnel emergency.
“Absolute chaos. It is not an end in sight,” said Ian Bennett, chairman of the Fan organization Sheffield Wednesday Supporters’ Trust “Sky”. “The problems don’t come to an end. You think the next day cannot get worse, and then it is. We don’t even know if we play the first game at all. In any case, the fans will do everything we can to support the players.”
The Pfa player union also condemned the conditions at the club. Chairman Maheta Molango spoke of “shocking” and “unacceptable” conditions last week after players and employees had not been paid in time.