European Football Championship - Storms in Dortmund: German round of 16 interrupted
The German EM-Quarterfinal in Dortmund against Denmark was first disrupted on Saturday evening due to the approaching storm. Referee Michael Oliver sent both teams off the pitch in the 35th minute as lightning, thunder, and rain swept over Dortmund's stadium.
The mood of the over 60,000 fans on the mostly covered stands remained calm at first. "The game is suspended due to bad weather conditions", was displayed on the video board. The players went to their locker rooms. A heavy downpour hit the stadium.
Referee expert Patrick Ittrich stated on MagentaTV: "The safety of the players and spectators comes first. There is no time limit for how long the game can be suspended. We will wait until the storm passes."
During the break, fans sang "Oh, how beautiful" at times. Stadium workers fanned out at the edge of the field and emptied a gutter, several Danish fans danced in the rainwater gushing from the roof. Numerous supporters tried to protect themselves from the rain with brought flags or transparencies.
Despite the storm's relentless assault on Dortmund's soccer lawn, the DFB National team and Denmark's squad hoped for a resumption of the European Football Championship quarterfinal. The disruption from the weather was not limited to Dortmund, as other European competitions also faced similar challenges. Even in Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia region, rain continued to fall.
