The federation will have to put its hand in the wallet. The Red Devils’ base camp in Freiberg, near Stuttgart, cost more than expected. The difference is estimated at 200,000 euros in a budget of 5.7 million for the tournament. It includes both the hotel and the player bonuses. Domenico Tedesco could have avoided this additional cost by preferring the FSV Bissingen field to that of SGV Freiberg. We went to check if the coach’s choice was the most logical for his team to work in the best conditions.
The argument put forward is the presence of too many red lights on the road to Bissingen. It is valid with nine traffic lights, more than double (four) towards Freiberg. We also took over 50% more time, going from just over seven to eleven minutes. In the age of marginal gains and in a tournament where road travel (the Devils go to their first and third games by bus) is encouraged, every detail counts.
Red Devils: Will Axel Witsel be ready for Slovakia?
More than the journey, it was the infrastructure that weighed in his decision. Bissingen plays a division lower than Freiberg and it shows. The D5 club does not offer the same comfort. It only has one natural grass pitch. The lawn should have been reworked despite a fairly decent appearance at first glance.
The lack of space is also glaring. The fitness room could have been installed on the smaller of the two synthetics, but then where to put the complex for the media and organize the press conferences? And what to do if the unpredictable weather damages the only available land? Another argument in favor of Tedesco: it would also have been very complicated to work behind closed doors.
The locker rooms – despite their low use by the players – were the major problem at Freiberg. They are small and in poor condition. Those in Bissingen are barely better. Not enough in any case to convince Tedesco. He chose the most optimal conditions.
