The Champions League fixture between Borussia Dortmund and AS Monaco has been postponed after an explosion hit the coach carrying the Dortmund team, injuring one player.
The incident occurred around 7 pm CET in Dortmund’s Höchstem district, around 10 kilometres from the club’s stadium.
Police confirmed there were three separate explosions near the coach, bursting the vehicle’s windscreen and injuring one player, identified as defender Marc Bartra.
Bartra, a 12-time Spanish international, had joined last season’s Bundesliga runners-up Dortmund last summer. The 26-year-old, who had been due to start in tonight’s match against the French club, has been taken to hospital. The fixture has been cancelled and rescheduled for Wednesday, the club confirmed at 8:30 pm CET.
Police and Borussia Dortmund officials assured supporters that they were not under threat at the stadium and that they should “stay calm” while leaving the stadium.
A tweet from the German club’s official Twitter account an hour before kick-off at the Westfalenstadion had first alerted news of an incident. “At our bus departure, an incident has occurred. One person was injured. More information to follow,” it read.
A later tweet read: “A bomb exploded at the team bus next to the hotel. The players are safe. There is no danger at the stadium.”
Inside the Westfalenstadion supporters of opponents Monaco reportedly reacted to the news with chants of “Dortmund, Dortmund”.