In a surprising turn of events, the UEFA Champions League clash between Bayern Munich and Benfica was delayed due to the actions of Benfica’s ultras. Fans of the Portuguese team lit firecrackers in the Munich subway, causing significant disruptions to the city’s public transport network. Trains were forced to stop, causing considerable congestion on platforms at several stations close to the Allianz Arena, preventing many fans from arriving in time for the match on day four of the Champions League group stage. Consequently, UEFA decided to postpone the start of the game, which kicked off at 21:17 CET.
The match was originally scheduled for 9pm CET, but continental football’s governing body had no option but to postpone it. UEFA announced a 15-minute delay, and the game kicked off at 21:17 CET after subway problems were resolved, allowing the majority of fans to reach the stadium.
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The Munich metro was heavily impacted by incidents instigated by the Lisbon ultras, who lit firecrackers not only on the premises, but also inside one of the trains. The train had to be stopped due to the smoke that filled the carriage, causing a complete halt to activities at nearby stations, in particular Frottmaning, the closest to the stadium.
The disruption to the Munich metro led to overcrowding on affected station platforms, resulting in significant chaos that ultimately impacted the Champions League match. The absence of thousands of fans in the stands just minutes before the start of the match was evident, made worse by the long queues to access the stadium due to metro delays.
As a result, UEFA ruled that the match would need to start later. The duel was pushed back to 21:15 CET, which was the initial scheduled start time. It started, without any further problems, two minutes later than scheduled, after the usual formation of the players in the center of the field and an emotional minute of silence in memory of the victims of the Valencia floods.
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