Munich thwarted by Moscow traffic chaos

FCBayernNews · News fetcher Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 1321 votes: 2

21.11.2006

Once Lufthansa flight LH 5018 had successfully taken to the air above Munich airport on Tuesday morning, the Bayern squad must have thought the worst part of their journey to Russia was behind them. A motorway snarl-up on the way to the airport delayed most of the party, with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Uli Hoeneß, Felix Magath and Claudio Pizarro only just making it onto the plane. However, the situation in Munich was just a minor foretaste of what lay in wait in Moscow.

The plane landed on time at Sheremetyevo airport, but chaotic traffic conditions in the Russian capital badly affected the planned schedule for the day. The bus carrying Bayern's training equipment became gridlocked on its way to the ground, initially causing a delay and then the cancellation of the stipulated evening training session.

Shakedown on matchday

The team waited for more than an hour at the Luschniki stadium, but the equipment transporter never came closer than an hour from the ground. The squad will now perform a light acclimatisation session on the artificial surface at the stadium on Wednesday morning.

Moscow's severe traffic problems caused trouble aplenty three weeks ago when Spartak hosted Internazionale in the Champions League. The home team's bus became gridlocked, prompting the players and coaching staff to switch to the metro for the journey to the ground. Passengers watched in astonishment as the pre-match team talk was held onboard the underground train.

Transport expert Eichkorn

Bayern are confident there will be no repeat of that situation on Wednesday, and in any case, the Bavarians have a secret weapon up their sleeve. "[Assistant coach] Seppo Eichkorn knows his way around every public transport system in the world, including the Moscow underground," coach Felix Magath commented with a grin.