Extreme weather conditions, including thunderstorms and heavy rainfall, left VfB with no other choice but to cut short their training camp in Neukirchen, Austria, where they were due to stay until Saturday. “It’s frustrating for all of us, particularly for our fans who have travelled specially,” said head coach Sebastian Hoeneß. “We’re very sorry, but we were left with no alternative. We tried everything. We all expected it to pan out differently. The training camp is not only about training but also about the team and bonding with the fans.”
Stopover in Munich
After ruling out other, short-term alternatives which would have enabled VfB to continue training in the region, the decision was made to return home on Wednesday morning. “We had to react quickly,” explained Hoeneß. “The important thing right now is that we get to train – including with the ball, not just running sessions.” With that in mind, Hoeneß and his players decided to make a pitstop at the training headquarters of FC Bayern Munich. “We’re obviously grateful that we were able to train at the complex in Munich,” the VfB boss continued. “FC Bayern were very cooperative from the get-go. If we had gone straight home, we’d have had six hours [of travelling] in our legs. It would have been too risky to train after that.”
VfB will resume their training camp in Bad Cannstatt with a double session on Thursday – including an open session at 16:00 CEST.