Shock and unprecedented situation in the PGE Ekstraliga! Mutual tour in Gorzów!

Circus on wheels in Gorzów. Four hours of waiting, including an hour after the track test, and we still hadn’t seen the highway. Tuesday’s late match of the fifth round of the PGE Ekstraliga between ebut.pl Stal and ZOOleszcz GKM ended in a mutual draw (0:0)!

Despite a tarpaulin being placed on the track for several hours and despite the rain stopping sooner than expected based on the forecast, there was no racing at Gurzuf Stadium on Tuesday evening. The organizers’ three hours of hard work were wasted, and the fans who sat in the stands longer and cheered received no entertainment. They spent the last hour waiting for the final decision.

Let’s start from the beginning. The exciting match of the 5th round of the PGE Ekstraliga was supposed to start between ebut.pl Stal Gorzów and ZOOleszcz GKM Grudziądz. 18:00. However, an hour before that, rain had begun to fall, hitting the city on the Warta River at noon. The track was covered with a tarp at the time and a decision was made based on radar to wait until the rain subsided. After the rain stopped, work began immediately. It has already been recognized that there is a high chance of conflict occurring.

After the tarpaulin was removed shortly after at 7:00 pm heavy equipment immediately appeared on the track. The work began with a brush, then they began collecting the gunk from the oval, leveling it, and finally tamping it down. It lasted nearly two hours. in. At 9:00 pm the track test began and no competitor from the visiting team participated. It was quite clear how unhappy visiting coach Robert Kosica was.

Therefore, Jakub Miskowiak and Szymon Wozniak from Stal ebut.pl only tested the surface. Initially, Anders Thomsen was supposed to take part in the test run, but the decision was made to change it so that the first of the aforementioned national seniors would come out of Gorzów for the test. The Dane did not want to comment on all this.

-The path is a bit demanding. I rode well, but I don’t know how it would be with four people, because I was riding alone. There are places where it’s hard and suddenly it’s hard. The sidewalk is “plasticine”. However, I think it was a good ride, the bike didn’t stop me – said Miskowiak sternly to Canal+ Sport.

– There is a difference between experiencing the track alone and racing in four, especially when the most sensitive place unfortunately is entering the first turn. There most of the water seeped under the tarpaulin and that part is very sticky. You might have the impression that we were going smoothly with Cuba, but in fact we were avoiding that critical point because… we had to avoid it. We traveled from the approach, not from the beginning. In the case where we start with four teams, the player in first place may have big problems in forming the bracket – these are the words of Woźniak in front of the cameras.

After completing the track test, they waited dozens of minutes to make any decision. There was a meeting in which referee Michel Sassen, track commissioner Lukasz Isak and representatives of both teams participated. Minutes passed, and the impatient fans slowly began to leave the stadium, sirens sounding.

Piotr Shwiderski and Piotr Boganyi, who were present in the Canal+ Sport studio, did not hide their increasing embarrassment at all this noise, and after the statements of Miskowiak and Wozniak, they indicated that the tarpaulin had not fully performed its role, as it leaked at the entrance to the first curve. – Everything is strange here – said Pogagni, and commentator Mateusz Dzyuba added: – This has become a very unfunny joke.

Patrick Malitowski, who was supposed to commentate on this match, used strong words. – What are we waiting for? The players won’t be going today anyway, that’s probably obvious. I don’t know, the referee should call somewhere, consult someone, whether he can let this match go ahead or not. It’s simple, there was a competitor on the track, and now the referee, in my opinion, probably won’t take the responsibility of telling the competitors that they should walk on the track. There will be a junior race, the first-placed rider will gather three teammates, there will be a big crash and the match will be canceled anyway – said the former motorcycle racer.

– This isn’t really a joke. There is no decision yet on this match. People leave the stadium. There are only a few fans left, die-hard fans. There are cards, statements, phone calls, and it’s hot all the time. I’m sorry, ladies and gentlemen, that you have to wait so long – these are the words of correspondent Lukas Benz several tens of minutes after the end of the track test.

Finally, at 21:52, Judge Sassine appeared before the television cameras and presented his position. – The decision has been made and I apologize to everyone for waiting so long, but I expected the team managers to evaluate the track after testing the track. I rated this route as difficult, although it is legal. In my opinion and from what I know, in the players’ opinion, it was legal, but difficult – said the referee of Tuesday’s match at the beginning.

– As we know, the Grudziądz team did not even participate in the track test. Here we were banned from driving even before the test, which was an unusual test, so to speak. After the test, I spoke with the team leaders, and I also spoke with Szymek Wozniak, who participated in the test and who confirmed that the track is generally difficult, although he did not have any problems driving. Jakub Miskowiak also confirmed this. Then 10-15 minutes passed, after which it became clear that both teams unanimously began to call out the danger of the path and that they refused – with an emphasis on refusal – to play in today’s match. He continued: “So I requested written data on this subject.”

After a while we learned about the referee, which even Benz did not believe, and certainly many fans watched this “competition” on television. – Therefore, the decision is made on mutual wandering. This is the decision. In my opinion and in the opinion of the Track Commissioner, the track is difficult, but within the rules – Judge Sassen concluded, adding: – The administrative body will confirm this result in a separate announcement.

results:

ebut.pl Stal Gorzów – ZOOleszcz GKM Grudziądz – 0:0 (double round)

Judge: Michel Sassine
Path delegate: Lucas Isaacs

Read more:
Kurtz has serious problems
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