Update: Wednesday, 1.39pm UAE time
Spain international Marc Bartra is recovering after a successful wrist operation following the explosives attack on the Borussia Dortmund team bus, the club and his father confirmed on Wednesday.
“We have learnt that everything went well,” Dortmund’s president Reinhard Rauball told broadcaster NTV.
The 26-year-old centre-back was hit by flying glass after three explosions shattered windows on the Dortmund team bus en route to Signal Iduna Park for Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final, first-leg.
The match has been postponed until Wednesday at 11.45pm UAE time, which Barta will miss, and German daily Bild claim he will be sidelined for the rest of the season.
The player’s father -- Jose Bartra -- says he has spoken to his son, who expects to leave hospital in a few days.
“We spoke yesterday after the operation and he told us he was fine,” Jose Bartra told Spanish media.
“The doctors had been through and said it was a clean break, that he didn’t have anything in his arm and that he would be in the hospital for a few days and then he would be released to go home.”
* Agence France-Presse
Update: Wednesday, 2am UAE time
Borussia Dortmund defender Bartra underwent wrist surgery after being injured in the explosion after three explosions went off near Borussia Dortmund’s team bus ahead of a Uefa Champions League quarter-final match.
Dortmund’s press spokesman confirmed the 26-year-old Bartra needed an operation on his right wrist.
“Marc Bartra will be operated on, he has broken the radius (bone) in his right wrist and there are foreign bodies in the arm,” said Sascha Fligge.
“The Borussia family has shown that we close ranks in difficult times and that’s what we also want to do for Marc.”
* Agence France-Presse
From Tuesday night
Borussia Dortmund’s game against Monaco has been postponed until Wednesday after three explosions around the team bus.
The German club announced a bomb exploded on their bus before the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final, the incident believed to have happened around three kilometres away from the stadium.
A statement on the club’s Twitter account said: “Bomb explosion on the team bus at the team hotel. Players are safe.”
Dortmund and European governing body Uefa said shortly after 10.30pm UAE that the match had been called off, and would instead kick off at 8.45pm UAE on Wednesday.
The local police force – Polizei Nordrhein-Westfalen Dortmund – then stated on Twitter: “We can confirm that there have been three explosions in the area of the @BVB team bus.”
In an initial announcement, Dortmund said: “At the departure of our bus, an incident occurred. One person was injured. More information to follow.”
Reports in Germany said the injured person was Dortmund’s Spanish defender Marc Bartra, and the Bundesliga side soon confirmed that to be the case.
They tweeted: “Dortmund confirmed In the explosion @MarcBartra was injured and is currently in the hospital. Good and fast recovery, Marc! #bvbasm”
Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke said Bartra, 26, suffered a hand injury and was being treated in hospital.
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Bartra joined the club from Barcelona last year, and his former club were quick to wish him well.
The Spanish club said on Twitter: “All our support to @MarcBartra, @BVB and their fans.”
Inside the packed Signal Iduna Park, supporters of Monaco, who play in France’s Ligue 1, chanted “Dortmund, Dortmund” in sympathy for the German side.
The clubs had been preparing for the first leg of their quarter-final tie.
Dortmund posted on Twitter: “#bvbasm has just been postponed until Wednesday, 12 April 1845 CET. Tickets remain valid. Thanks to everyone involved in the decision.”
In the immediate aftermath of the explosions, Dortmund said there was “no cause for concern” for those at the stadium, and added the club were in close contact with the emergency services and Uefa.
Police Dortmund said in a statement: “In the run-up to the Champions League game between BVB [Dortmund] and AS Monaco, there was just after 1900 tonight an explosion close to the BVB team bus.”
The statement added: “According to what we currently know, the wheels of the bus (totally or partly) burst and one person was injured.
“It is not yet possible to say exactly what the explosion was or exactly where something exploded.”
Following the announcement that the match had been postponed, Police Dortmund tweeted: “To reassure stadium visitors and relatives: There are currently no indications of a threat to visitors in the stadium #bvbasm”
* Agencies
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