German police say 1 soccer player injured in bus explosion

DORTMUND, Germany — A player for German soccer team Borussia Dortmund was injured Tuesday following explosions near the team bus ahead of the Champions League quarterfinal match against Monaco, police said.

The match, the first of two legs between the two sides in Europe’s premier club competition, was postponed until Wednesday.

Stadium spokesman Norbert Dickel informed fans of the cancellation, saying that “there is no reason for panic here at the stadium.”

North Rhine-Westphalia police spokesman Gunnar Wortmann told The Associated Press that there were “three explosions near the (Borussia Dortmund) team bus as they left the hotel to go to the stadium” and that “there was one player injured inside and damage to a window.”

Dortmund said the player was Spanish defender Marc Bartra and that he is currently in hospital. Dortmund also said the player was “in safety” and that “there is no danger in and around the stadium.”

Police said the explosions took place in the run-up to the match at around 7 p.m. local time (1700 GMT).

Dortmund is in western Germany, in the densely populated Ruhr industrial region.

Inside the packed stadium, supporters of Monaco, which plays in the French league, chanted “Dortmund, Dortmund” in sympathy for the German side.