Sauna explosion causes kit chaos and match postponement
ByReuters
Published 15/11/2014 at 17:59 GMT
An English football club apologised to fans on Saturday when their game had to be postponed because the team kit could not be recovered following an explosion in their hotel sauna.
Eurosport
Image credit: Eurosport
Lincoln City's game at Eastleigh in the Conference, the fifth tier of English soccer, was called off after a fire at the Hilton Southampton prevented their players from collecting their boots and shinpads.
The bizarre episode forced Lincoln to post a message on their Twitter account: "Can only apologise to fans who have travelled but all in hands of fire brigade. All players' boots etc in rooms which we can't enter."
A club statement from Eastleigh explained how 55 firefighters from eight stations were needed to tackle the fire which was thought to have started in the sauna.
Most of Lincoln's kit was already at Eastleigh's ground but the fire meant club officials could not recover items like boots, shinpads, goalkeeping gear and physiotherapists' medical equipment from the hotel.
After an hour's delay, it was agreed the game should be postponed.
"It's not just a case of popping down to the nearest sports shop and buying a pair of boots," Lincoln general manager John Vickers said in a BBC radio interview.
"We're a professional football club and we've got to prepare professionally."
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