Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates are cutting short their training camp in Saalfelden, Austria. Rain has damaged the pitches, which BVB also plans to use for training soon.
Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly arrived with 16 bodyguards, but even the superstar from Portugal cannot influence the weather. Due to persistent rain, Al-Nassr has decided to cut short its training camp in Saalfelden, Austria.
On Wednesday evening (5:30 p.m.), the Saudi Arabian club will still play its friendly match against French first division club FC Toulouse in Grödig before heading to Portugal five days earlier than planned, where the second part of its summer preparations are scheduled. The match against Al-Ahli from Dubai scheduled for next Saturday has therefore been canceled.
“The bad weather is the only reason” for the early departure, Daniel Fischer from the Onside agency, which organized the training camp—and many others this summer—told the Austrian news agency APA.
Training ground “barely playable”
Borussia Dortmund will also be closely monitoring developments. The BVB team will be staying at the Hotel Gut Brandlhof, where Cristiano Ronaldo & Co. have been lodging since July 20, for five days starting Monday to prepare for the season. At the moment, that would not be a good idea: As Brandlhof owner Alexander Strobl explained to Sky, the training ground is currently “barely playable and too soft due to the heavy rain.”
This had already been an issue before Al-Nassr’s arrival. Second division club Hannover 96, which had previously been at a training camp in Saalfelden, had repeatedly had to switch from the four-star hotel’s training ground to the local sports high school’s facilities in order to avoid overstraining the turf.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s stay was also a special challenge for the organizers in other ways. Security measures had been increased after several fan gatherings. Onside boss Henning Rießelmann had reported in advance that the 38-year-old striker would have “16 bodyguards just for himself” in Saalfelden.