Sports are one of those things that can transcend language, cultural and national barriers, as they bring us all together under the same passion. One of the biggest and most important sportive events is the Champions League, matching Europe’s top teams against each other.
Sadly on Tuesday, on the waiting of what have been called “the magical nights,” unfortunate events happened. As the bus carrying Borussia Dortmund suffered a bomb attack on their way to the game. Logically, the match had to be postponed, but they only postponed it for less than 24h, which has been highly criticized.
What happened
On the evening of Tuesday, the bus carrying the Borussia Dortmund players to their Champions League match against AS Monaco suffered damages after three explosive devices that contained metal pieces exploded near them. This happened close to the hotel the players spent the night prior to the game.
The game was postponed until the next day. Marc Bartra Dortmund and Spain’s defender was injured, luckily being the only one. Bartra’s injuries weren’t lethal, but he had to go through surgery as his right arm and left wrist were broken. Along with that, with the rearrange of the fixture and the irregular situation, the Dortmund fans welcomed the Monaco ones into their homes. Using the hashtag #bedforawayfans on Twitter they invited them to stay with them.
Something that Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel, praised calling it “a clear signal against every sort of violence.” Besides condemning the “repulsive act.” Obviously, the attack against the Dortmund players caused the security to raise on the zone for the next day match. Dortmund official media accounts also asked fans not to bring backpacks and to arrive early to the stadium, due to security measures. As it’s Germany’s largest one, holding more than 81,000 persons.
heavily criticized measures
This causes as well that security got intensified in the other two other Champions League matches of Wednesday. As Bayern Munich hosted Real Madrid, and in Madrid, where Atlético played against Leicester City. The match Dortmund vs Monaco took place less than 24 hours after the explosion attack. The Dortmund’s fans received their squad singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” and with one of their impressive mosaics. While politicians were on the V.I.P. stands to send a message against terrorism.
The match ended 3-2 in favor of Monaco’s side, despite the Dortmund side playing incredibly good in the second half. Polemic has surrounded the match. Not only due to some of the referee’s decisions, but also to the context the match took place in. Coach Thomas Tuchel criticized heavily the UEFA’s decision saying “We wish we’d had more time to deal with what happened but someone in Switzerland decided we have to play.”
What we know
For Frauke Köhler, a spokeswoman for the Federal Prosecutor’s Office of Germany, this type of attacks has logic. Being carefully planned on Europe’s most popular sport and between two important teams, of two of the continent’s biggest countries, Germany and France. Something that Thomas de Maizière, Germany’s Interior Minister, agrees on. “Football has a big fascination, and that is why it also exerts a temptation on terrorists, to abuse that effect.” He stated.
They’re also investigating two letters taking responsibility for the happenings. The letters demanded that Germany withdraws their Tornado aircraft from Syria, where they are used for reconnaissance. As the letters also demanded “the closure of the Ramstein Air Base,” referring to the main airport for American and NATO military forces in Germany.
Two people in custody
One of the scary things about the letters is that it threatened many other kinds of entertainers. As it read “From this point on,” it said, “all nonbelieving actors, singers, sports people and other prominent people in Germany and other crusader nations are on the death list of the Islamic State. And that as long as the following demands are not met: Tornados out of Syria. Ramstein Air Base must be closed.”
Furtherly Köler said that two persons with an “Islamist spectrum” had been taken into custody after the attack. The suspects are a 25-year-old Iraqi man and a 28-year-old from Unna. They were both captured in the surrounds of Dortmund in different places. Still, authorities haven’t determined which specific type of detonator or explosives were used, but they’re still investigating.
Source: nytimes.com