Germany, Serbia barred from training at World Cup venue in Port Elizabeth due to damaged pitch

Germany, Serbia barrned from training at venue

ERASMIA, South Africa — Germany and Serbia have been prohibited from training at the World Cup venue in Port Elizabeth before their match because the pitch has been damaged by heavy rain over the past two days.

The German federation said Wednesday that both teams were told by FIFA they couldn’t practice on the eve of Friday’s Group D game so tournament organizers could preserve the field at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

The German squad has decided to delay its departure from Pretoria. The players will have their final training session near their base outside Pretoria before flying to Port Elizabeth on Thursday afternoon instead of at noon as initially planned.