Manchester City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo had come out for warm up before being called back in
MANCHESTER, United Kingdom, Sep 13- The Champions League group game between Manchester City and Borussia Moenchengladbach on Tuesday was postponed due to heavy rain at City’s Etihad Stadium.
“Tonight’s UEFA Champions League fixture at home to Borussia Moenchengladbach has been postponed,” City said in a statement on their website.
“Torrential rainfall across Manchester throughout the evening led to flooding in the areas around the ground, which forced the decision on safety and security grounds.”
It had rained heavily in Manchester for several hours prior to the game’s scheduled 1845 GMT kick-off and there was thunder and lightning overhead as fans made their way to the stadium.
UEFA’s rules state that if a match in the competition is postponed, a decision on when it will take place must be taken within two hours of the postponement.
The match must either be played the following day or on a reserve date.
UEFA’s Champions League Twitter account wrote: “Further information on the rearranged fixture will be provided in due course.”
A group of UEFA officials carrying blue umbrellas performed a pitch inspection around 45 minutes prior to the scheduled kick-off time.
Manchester City’s goalkeepers Claudio Bravo and Willy Caballero had come out to warm up, but were ushered inside.
The rain eased off as kick-off time approached, but with conditions outside treacherous, the decision to call the game off was made shortly before 9:30pm.
Several hundred visiting Gladbach fans, many of them shirtless, remained in their seating section singing after the postponement was announced.
Gladbach’s players, wearing green and black club tracksuits, came out to salute them before returning to their changing room.
Manchester’s Metrolink tram system had to be temporarily suspended due to the rain and photographs circulating on social media showed huge puddles in city centre streets.
The match is due to be City manager Pep Guardiola’s first group-stage game with the club.
City and Gladbach met in last season’s group phase, with the English club winning both games en route to the semi-finals.
