Magdeburg's Sander Complains About the Field After Victory in Bahlingen

Magdeburg coach Petrik Sander complained vehemently about the field at Kaiserstuhlstadion after the first-round DFB-Pokal match against Bahlinger SC, an Oberliga team from southern Baden. “We wanted to play soccer, they wanted to play soccer—there was only one thing that didn’t allow it, and that was the field. You just have to say it plain and simple,” Sander railed right at the start of the press conference following the second-division team’s 4-0 victory.

“I’ve been in the game for quite a while, but I’ve never seen anything like this on this scale—I’ve never experienced it like this,” Sander continued. “If I want to play soccer, I need a decent playing surface. This isn’t a good playing surface.” In his opinion, the field didn’t meet the standards required for a first-round match in the DFB Cup.

Sander: “Huge compliment” to Bahlinger SC

Sander explicitly excluded Bahlinger coach Marco Schneider and his team from his criticism. The Oberliga club had wanted to play active soccer, and for that, the hosts deserved “a huge compliment.” Thanks to two players who each scored twice—striker Mateusz Zukowski (5th and 44th minutes) and Falko Michel (31st and 77th)—Sander’s team nevertheless advanced confidently to the next round in front of 3,545 spectators.

Schneider attributed the poor field conditions to the high temperatures of the past few weeks. “It’s certainly no Wembley turf, no carpet, but it’s been much better,” admitted the BSC coach. “Of course, we would have liked to have had a better surface, too.”

BSC Captain: “Played Over 100 Times on a Worse Field”

His captain, Hasan Pepic, wasn’t about to let Sander’s comments stand unchallenged: “I’m sure Mr. Sander has coached teams that have played on even worse fields. I’ve been in this business for a long time now, and I can say I’ve played on worse fields over 100 times.”

Especially since, as the 33-year-old Pepic noted, the Bahlinger team created good scoring chances against the favorites despite the uneven surface. They just lacked efficiency. “It was a highlight,” the captain summed up nonetheless. “We’re still enjoying it today, and maybe tomorrow, but the day after tomorrow, everyday life starts again—the Oberliga, the regional cup. We want to win it again so we can have another highlight next year.”