The 1st Leg of the quarterfinal match between Borussia Dortmund and AS Monaco has been postponed until Tuesday due to Explosions near the Dortmund team bus. The explosions occurred on their way to the stadium to play against the French team in the first leg of the quarterfinals in the UEFA Champions League.
The explosions shattered windows and reports indicate that defender Marc Bartra sustained some injuries and was sent to the hospital after receiving first aid. According to a police statement, there were three explosions near the team bus of the German side; the explosives may have been hidden in a hedge near a parking lot.
UEFA's Statement
Meanwhile, UEFA has stated that “Following tonight’s incident involving the Borussia Dortmund team bus,"
"the Champions League match between Borussia Dortmund and Monaco has been postponed until tomorrow [6:45 Local Time].
"This decision was made after a meeting held at the Westfalenstadion between UEFA, representatives of the two clubs and local authorities.”
Dortmund's Statement
Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has provided an update on the situation in a video, making it clear that the injuries on Bartra’s arm and leg are not life threatening and the team was in shock. However, he also reiterated the fact that the team needs to prepare for tomorrow's match with Monaco. The home team has been relocated to a secure location after the incident according to the club's CEO.
Narrating the incident, Borussia Dortmund Keeper Roman Burki said, "we all ducked after the bang, and those who were able took cover lying on the floor. We did not know if had already ended. The police were on site soon. We are all shocked, and nobody thought about a football match during those minutes."
Dortmund has told fans to retain their tickets for the match on Wednesday and informed Monaco fans to tweet #bedforawayfans if in need of accommodation.
The explosions occurred when fans had started entering the stadium in their numbers.
Fortunately, no lives were lost in the explosion apart from Bartra’s injuries. Dortmund will have to recover quickly from the shock to have any hopes of qualifying for the next round in the Champions League.
In the other match, Juventus FC beat Barcelona by 3 – 0 at home in the first leg of the quarterfinals. Barcelona will be looking to overturn this deficit at the Nou Camp when Juventus comes to visit.
More details will emerge after the investigation by the German police.
