Agency Report –
Munich – Several square metres of new hybrid turf have been laid at Munich’s Allianz Arena in time for the men’s Nations League semi-final between Germany and Portugal on Wednesday.
Exuberant Paris Saint-Germain fans had damaged the surface and taken some of it as a souvenir after Saturday’s 5-0 win over Inter Milan in the Champions League final.
European governing body UEFA wanted the Champions League final to be followed in the same stadium by the first Nations League semi for organizational reasons.
Munich city council was non-plussed about hosting the Nations League Final Four, but the stadium operator said the tight turnaround was no issue and the turg would bed in.
“For us, this is routine. There was never any risk to the game taking place,” Jürgen Muth, managing director of Allianz Arena München Stadion GmbH, told the newspaper group Münchner Merkur and tz on Tuesday.
Munich also hosts the final on Sunday, with France taking on Spain in the other semi-final in Stuttgart on Thursday.
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann conducted a final training session with a full squad on a well-maintained pitch at the team’s base in Herzogenaurach north of Munich.
