Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel accused Uefa of apathy towards his team after having to play their Champions League quarter-final match against AS Monaco less than 24 hours after three explosions rocked their bus.
Tuchel slammed Uefa, saying that they treated the attack as if a “beer can” had been thrown on the team bus. He also claimed the team was informed of the rescheduling by a text message from Uefa, without checking if the players were ready.
Dortmund played the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday, after it was postponed from Tuesday, when three explosions rocked the team bus minutes before kick-off and left Spain international Marc Bartra with a broken wrist. Monaco ended up winning the match 3-2.
“We weren’t asked at any point,” Tuchel told reporters after the match. “We were told by text message that the decision had been made in Switzerland [where Uefa are based]. When they told us ‘you’re up tomorrow’, we felt completely ignored. They treated it as if a beer can had been thrown at the bus.”
Tuchel said Dortmund would have liked more time to take stock. “This gives you the feeling of impotence, that we have to keep functioning and nothing else matters,” he said. “I encouraged everyone to take the game seriously, but football is not the most important thing in the world.”
German police had increased security in the city and investigators detained an Islamist suspect after the attack.
“Ultimately, it was decided in Nyon in Switzerland whether or not to play the next day,” Tuchel said. “It was a somewhat powerless feeling. Each player had the right to start with a somewhat queasy feeling. We would have liked to have had more time to work through it.”
What Dortmund players said
The blast affected each Dortmund player differently, Tuchel added. “There are players who easily brushed it off, but there are also players who really took it to heart. They are more thoughtful. Everyone has the right to deal with it in his own way. We want to help every player to overcome his inner conflict. It was a bad experience.”
Dortmund midfielder Nuri Sahin said the attack showed that there is so much more than football in the world.
“We love football, we suffer with football and I know we earn a lot of money, and we have a privileged life, but we are human beings and there is so much more than football in this world...and last night we felt it,” the Turkey player said in an emotional interview.
“I don’t know if the people can understand this but, until I was on the pitch in the second half, I didn’t think about football,” he added. “I get goosebumps...when we were in the bus last night, I can’t forget the faces.”
Germany’s Julian Weigl said, “Most of the guys slept as little as I did. There is no golden way to deal with this because it was the first time for everyone. There was no other possibility [to play the game later]. It was difficult for us, of course.”
Uefa’s reaction
European football’s governing body, however, insisted that both clubs had agreed to play on Wednesday.
“We were in touch with all parties today and never received any information which suggested that any of the teams did not want to play,” said a Uefa spokesperson.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!