Ground staff work to clear pitch for N. Ireland fixture
Northern Ireland’s World Cup qualifying football match against Russia has become one of the biggest casualties of the snowstorm that has engulfed large parts of the North.
The scheduled fixture at Windsor Park in Belfast tonight was postponed until tomorrow afternoon as a result of the wintry blast that has seen almost 100,000 homes and businesses lose electricity.
Ground staff worked throughout the day in a bid to clear the pitch, but with the snow continuing to fall and the forecast remaining bleak, the Irish Football Association and Russian footballing authorities jointly agreed to the rescheduling.
Engineers from Northern Ireland Electricity have managed to restore supply to around 58,000 customers but were still working to reconnect 40,000 who remained cut off.
Question marks will naturally be raised over the likelihood of the game taking place tomorrow, with more bad weather expected through the night.
The Irish Football Association announced a briefing at 10.30am in the morning, during which more details will be provided.
IFA staff – including chief executive Patrick Nelson – did their best to salvage the situation today by shovelling snow from the pitch in grim conditions, but their efforts were in vain.
Windsor Park, home to Irish League outfit Linfield, is among the more basic on the international circuit and has little to no defence against the elements, such as under-soil heating.
The delay is likely to cause additional problems, with Northern Ireland due to host Israel in the second match of the Group F double-header on Tuesday.
That match is now itself in some doubt, with the pitch highly unlikely to be in an acceptable condition should a game go ahead this weekend.
Russia, meanwhile, are due to play Brazil in a friendly at Stamford Bridge on Monday but now face the prospect of a one-day break between games.
The inclement weather also forced the closure of the runway at George Best Belfast City Airport and the Association of Northern Ireland Supporters Clubs registered their concerns with the IFA over the safety of fans travelling to the match.
