Hannover’s chief of police said authorities received a warning about a possible bomb threat shortly before the match between Germany and the Netherlands in the main Hannover stadium.
Advertisement
German broadcaster NDR quoted the city’s chief of police as stating there was a “concrete danger for all Hannover”.
The soccer match was meant to be attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and members of her Cabinet in a show of solidarity following the Paris terror attacks.
Germany’s Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maiziere told a news conference: “The match was called off on my recommendation”.
The Associated Press agency reported there had been a bomb threat about an hour earlier outside the stadium, with streets leading to the ground being sealed off before the all-clear was given.
But Lower Saxony interior minister Boris Pistorius said that, contrary to a few reports, no explosives had been found. The investigation in Hanover is continuing, and no arrests have been made.
Announcing the cancellation, a stadium public address announcer at the Niedersachsenstadion said: “I’m sorry but the match has just been called off”.
It comes as armed police patrol Wembley ahead of England’s match with France this evening.
Soccer fans who had arrived at the stadium were asked to leave “in groups of three and stay out of town”, one person told the BBC. PHOTOS: Tributes to Paris from around the worldThere were no signs of panic, with most fans seemingly accepting the decision with resignation.
Jens Grittner, a spokesman for Die Mannschaft, tweeted: “We have been diverted on the way to the stadium and are in a safe place”.
Germany were caught up in the attacks in Paris on Friday, with explosions heard outside the Stade de France during their friendly against France as suicide bombers detonated devices. All supporters’ bags had been searched and police sniffer dogs were also on patrol.
Advertisement
The German Football Association (DFB) had at the weekend already come close to calling off the match, while Belgium have cancelled their friendly against Spain on Tuesday.
