Two top-division soccer games in Germany called off amid heavy snow

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Two top-division German soccer games were called off Friday as heavy snow made stadiums unsafe.

St. Pauli's Bundesliga game Saturday against Leipzig was postponed as the city of Hamburg in northern Germany struggled with heavy snow, and more was expected.

Hours later, the league confirmed that Werder Bremen's game with Hoffenheim, also scheduled for Saturday, would not take place either.

St. Pauli said it had “done everything possible to ensure the game could be held safely” but that wasn't possible.

Despite efforts over several days to clear the snow, difficulties removing it from the roof of the stadium were a particular concern, St. Pauli said.

The club added that it was advised that calling off the game could ease the burden on emergency services, the transport network and the healthcare system. Leipzig is fourth in the 18-team Bundesliga and St. Pauli is 16th.

Bremen said ice and snowdrifts made it impossible to host the game safely at its 42,000-capacity stadium. The issues include ice in the concourses, problems with keeping emergency exits clear and travel difficulties for spectators, the club added.

The league promised to provide new dates for the two postponed games “shortly.”

Snow fell Friday across northern and eastern Germany and more was expected overnight. Long-distance rail travel in much of the north was suspended and road journeys were disrupted.

Union Berlin's game against Mainz remains on the schedule for Saturday, even as Union fans have volunteered to move snow and ice around their team's stadium in the German capital this week.

It's the first round of games since the Bundesliga's winter break. The women's Bundesliga remains on a winter break until Jan. 23.

A men's basketball game set for Saturday in Hamburg was called off after the arena was closed due to concerns about snow on the roof, the German league said.

Another basketball team, Syntainics MBC, said it was traveling “under protest and contrary to its sense of responsibility toward players, staff and coaches” after the league rejected its request to postpone a game scheduled for Saturday. The team described its 430-kilometer (267-mile) road journey to Oldenburg in northwest Germany as “dangerous.”

In the Netherlands, a top-division men's soccer game between NEC Nijmegen and Utrecht set for Friday was called off earlier based on weather forecasts. Other top-tier Dutch games set for the weekend are going ahead but second-division games have been postponed.

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