EM - Arrival trouble: Stuttgart police counter Tedesco's complaint
The police responded to a complaint from Belgium's national trainer Domenico Tedesco and holds the Belgians responsible for the late arrival of their team at the EM game against Ukraine (0:0). "Correspondence was exchanged between the Belgian team and UEFA as well as the police prior to the event, stating that a travel time of 40 minutes was not sufficient. The police suggested a travel time of 60 minutes. This was rejected by the Belgian association," said Frank Belz, EM spokesperson for the Stuttgart Police Headquarters, to the "Stuttgarter Nachrichten" and "Stuttgarter Zeitung".
Tedesco complained about the difficult circumstances of the arrival after the match on Wednesday. "We were escorted to here without blue lights from the police, the streets were completely empty, they drove at 20 or 25 km/h and stopped at every traffic light," the 38-year-old reported, after his team had just qualified for the quarterfinals of the European Football Championship. We had to shorten the warm-up program and I had hardly any time for my speech, the coach remarked.
"From a police perspective, nothing unusual occurred during the escort of the Belgian bus," police spokesperson Belz countered. The bus was indeed three minutes late leaving the team hotel. However: "Communication from Euro GmbH indicated in advance that there should be a time gap between the arrivals of the two teams - in order to fulfill this requirement, the speed of the Belgian bus was at times reduced." The reasons for the late arrival were set by the Belgians "through their insistence on the 40-minute travel time."
EM-Match Schedule Information from the "Stuttgarter Nachrichten" text.
- Domenico Tedesco, the Belgian national soccer team's trainer, lodged a complaint with the German police about the late arrival of his team for the EM game against Ukraine in Group E in Stuttgart.
- The police in Baden-Württemberg's capital Stuttgart had suggested a travel time of 60 minutes to ensure the Belgian team's punctuality, but this was rejected by the Belgian association.
- The EUFA and the police in Stuttgart had previously exchanged correspondence with the Belgian team, stating that a travel time of 40 minutes was not sufficient, but the Belgians insisted on sticking to this time frame.
- Domenico Tedesco expressed his frustration after the game against Ukraine, which ended in a 0:0 draw, stating that their late arrival had caused them to shorten their warm-up program and prevented him from giving his speech.
- The police in Stuttgart responded to the complaint from Belgium's national trainer Domenico Tedesco, and they hold the Belgians responsible for the late arrival of their team at the EM game against Ukraine.
- The Belgian team's late arrival at the EM match against Ukraine in Group E has caused a stir, with the team qualifying for the round of sixteen of the European Football Championship despite the difficult circumstances.
- The Stuttgarter Nachrichten reported on the police's response to the complaint from Belgium's national trainer Domenico Tedesco, highlighting the communication between the Belgian team, UEFA, and the police prior to the event.
