The fire took hold just a few metres away from the apartment blocks that overlook the pitch. Photo / Getty
The fire took hold just a few metres away from the apartment blocks that overlook the pitch. Photo / Getty
England's World Cup qualifier with Andorra is expected to go ahead as planned despite a large fire breaking out at the national stadium a little over 24 hours before kick-off.
Gareth Southgate's players were training at the Estadi Nacional earlier in the day before the fire which started in aTV gantry and spread to the technical area. The edge of artificial pitch was scorched, while the video assistant referee pitchside monitor and the end of a dugout melted in the heat.
The blaze was thought to have started when the gantry was being erected and sparks flew from welding work. The two-story framework for broadcasters was quickly engulfed in flames with thick black smoke billowing into the streets around the stadium. There are no reports of injuries.
Staff at the national stadium switched on sprinklers to help control the fire, with firefighters arriving at least 20 minutes after it started. The major damage was to the gantry, the 3G surface on the side of the pitch and one of the dugouts.
Ahead of the scheduled Andorra press conference, a spokesperson said: "No personal harm has been reported, only material damage. The schedule will continue as planned and the match will go ahead."
Nothing other than a comfortable England win is expected against Andorra but the surface could provide a headache for Southgate's side.
Wales raged about the plastic pitch after a European Championship qualifier in 2014, with Gareth Bale saying it was "by far the worst [pitch] I've ever played on".
The Andorran Football Federation said it was improved last year to what an official called a "hybrid surface" but it remains to be seen whether Southgate alters his selections with the pitch in mind.
Firefighters douse the last of the flames at Andorra's Estadi Nacional. Photo / Getty
Southgate said that the pitch had been improved since Wales last played on it. "The first thing is a lot of those interviews were when Wales played here, it has been relayed since then, it is a more up-to-date surface," he said.
"We have played on some really difficult grass pitches where teams have kept the length of the grass long and we haven't been able to move the ball quickly. For us to have a surface where you know the ball can move quickly is good.
"All of the players have grown up in academies and the young ages playing on these pitches. We played in Lithuania on one. We have to adapt, the game can be slightly different, the risk is you can always end up playing to feet is an observation I have seen on these types of surfaces.
"We have got to make sure we play as much as our normal game as we can."
