"Never experienced before": Werder has to cancel game due to illness

Werder Bremen are not enough players available for the planned Bundesliga match of the women against Hoffenheim. The game is postponed. The fact that football games are cancelled already happens. But actually only if the condition of the pitch is too bad to play on. This time, however, the condition of the players of Werder Bremen was too bad to play a professional Bundesliga game on Sunday afternoon. 14 healthy players must bring a club together to be able to play. For the Bremen women, a large part of the squad is flat. "I have never experienced this before," coach Friederike "Fritzy" Kromp emphasized in conversation with buten un within two hours before the kick-off. This is an absolutely exceptional situation. I think, due to illness, no game has ever been cancelled. But in the end it was no different to decide. We have had a severe wave of illness. Opponent Hoffenheim was forewarned Werder coach Friederike "Fritzy" Kromp had prepared until Sunday afternoon for the game against Hoffenheim. Image: Radio Bremen It is allowed according to the rules to cancel a game for this reason. Werder still has a 2nd team, but there were some sick and especially not all players also for the Bundesliga game entitled. The Bremeners could turn it and turn it, they did not get enough players together. On Saturday, other actors signed off, in addition, a few are also injured. “We went into the exchange with the Hoffenheimerinnen early on Saturday evening and informed them that the tendency is to cancel the game,” Kromp said. According to Kromp, the Hoffenheimerinnen such as the German Football Association (DFB) showed understanding for the situation. “You can imagine how difficult it is to experience it so short-term,” explained the coach, “but we didn’t like to do it.” But it was not responsible for us to go through such a game. For Werder’s trainer, it was “hectic and intense” hours on Sunday. Because the sick players all needed medical certificates. “We continued to prepare for the game,” Kromp said, “it was a race against time.” I told the players that until we don’t have it in writing, we assume we’re playing. Two hours before the kick-off, the cancellation was then officially, a date for the catch-up game is not yet fixed. For coach Kromp, it is now necessary to continue improvising and replanning with her hospital. “We will only get into preparation for the next home game on Wednesday – hopefully with a few more healthy players.” Until next Sunday at 2 pm for the game against Freiburg will be needed again at least 14 Bremen players. The time is running for recovery.