01/09/26 08:15:00
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01/09 08:14 CST Bundesliga game between St. Pauli and Leipzig called off due to
heavy snow
Bundesliga game between St. Pauli and Leipzig called off due to heavy snow
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) --- Leipzig's game at St. Pauli in the German Bundesliga
on Saturday has been called off due to heavy snow, with other games in doubt.
St. Pauli, from Hamburg in northern Germany, said it had "done everything
possible to ensure the game could be held safely" but that wasn't possible.
Despite efforts over several days to clear the snow, difficulties removing it
from the roof of the stadium were a particular concern, St. Pauli said.
The club added that it was advised that calling off the game could ease the
burden on emergency services, the transport network and the healthcare system.
Snow fell Friday across northern and eastern Germany and more was expected
overnight. Long-distance rail travel in much of the north was suspended and
road journeys were disrupted.
"A new date for the game will be announced shortly," the league said. Leipzig
is fourth in the 18-team Bundesliga and St. Pauli is 16th.
Other top-tier games scheduled for Saturday in areas affected by heavy snow are
Werder Bremen's game against Hoffenheim and Union Berlin's against Mainz.
Bremen has asked fans to arrive early and to avoid traveling by car if
possible. Union fans have volunteered to move snow and ice around their team's
stadium in the German capital this week.
It's the first round of games since the Bundesliga's winter break. The women's
Bundesliga remains on a winter break until Jan. 23.
A men's basketball game set for Saturday in Hamburg was called off after the
arena was closed due to concerns about snow on the roof, the German league said.
Another basketball team, Syntainics MBC, said it was traveling "under protest
and contrary to its sense of responsibility toward players, staff and coaches"
after the league rejected its request to postpone a game scheduled for
Saturday. The team described its 430-kilometer (267-mile) road journey to
Oldenburg in northwest Germany as "dangerous."
In the Netherlands, a top-division men's soccer game between NEC Nijmegen and
Utrecht set for Friday was called off earlier based on weather forecasts. Other
top-tier Dutch games set for the weekend are going ahead but second-division
games have been postponed.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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