Because the grass in the Waldau Stadium is being replaced, Switzerland is training in “exile”. The return is planned for Thursday.
The “grass gate” has meant that the Swiss national team has to temporarily leave its original training camp. Instead of training in the Waldau Stadium, which is only a 5-minute walk from the hotel, the national team is currently doing its training sessions on the VfB Stuttgart training field. This means that the team has to take a bus ride of around 30 minutes each way.
The players don’t want to let that throw them off course. Michel Aebischer, for example, was noticeably calm when asked about the ongoing problems with the pitch. “We are happy that a solution has been found,” said the 27-year-old midfielder. “Now we are looking forward to a new, good pitch.”
Legend:
Greenkeepers instead of national team stars
At the Waldau Stadium, work is being carried out day and night to lay the new turf as quickly as possible.
Keystone/Peter Klaunzer
18 to 20 truck trips required for transport
The new pitch will not be ready before Thursday, however. At the moment, the turf in the Waldau Stadium (home of the Stuttgarter Kickers) is being torn out, as it is deemed inadequate. The new pitch will then be laid on Wednesday and Thursday. The city of Stuttgart pulled out all the stops and found something within a 2-hour radius. 18 to 20 truck trips are necessary to transport the new turf to the Waldau Stadium.
If everything goes according to plan, the Swiss will only have to move away twice. On Monday and Tuesday, the national team will prepare for the second group match against Scotland on Wednesday evening in “exile”. After the match, which will again take place in Cologne, the Swiss will return to Stuttgart that night. On Thursday, they hope to be able to train on the newly laid grass.