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Pregame blasts rock German soccer team bus, player injured

Updated: 2017-04-12 09:11

Pregame blasts rock German soccer team bus, player injured

Monaco supporters with Borussia banners react in the stadium after the match was postponed amid an explosion near the bus of Borussia Dortmund some 10km away from the stadium prior to the UEFA Champions League 1st leg quarter-final football match BVB Borussia Dortmund v Monaco in Dortmund, western Germany on April 11, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

Lange said a further "suspicious object" was found at the scene, but it does not appear to have been another explosive device.

Inside the packed stadium, supporters of Monaco, which plays in the French league, chanted "Dortmund, Dortmund" in sympathy for the German side. Dortmund residents, for their part, used social media to offer accommodation to stranded Monaco supporters ahead of their rescheduled match in Europe's premier soccer club competition.

"The team is totally shocked, that's clear. It's our task now to digest this somehow because it's only 24 hours before we have to play. That's our job," Dortmund Chief Executive Officer Hans-Joachim Watzke said.

Watzke added that there was "no alternative" to rescheduling the match for Wednesday, as Monaco also has to play over the weekend and the return Champions League match is scheduled for next week.

"It's a very unfortunate situation, but there was no other way," he said.

Pregame blasts rock German soccer team bus, player injured

An announcer speaks to fans in the stands after an incident on the team coach. [Photo/VCG]

Stadium spokesman Norbert Dickel informed fans already inside the venue of the cancellation, saying that "there is no reason for panic here at the stadium." Police said fans left the stadium without problems.

Police chief Lange made clear that authorities will put heavy security in place for Wednesday's match, though there was no threat to the stadium on Tuesday.

"We are preparing for a major operation tomorrow, and we will do everything humanly possible to ensure that the match tomorrow can occur safely," he said.

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