In one of the craziest stories in the Bundesliga this season, Mewa Arena, the home of Bundesliga club Mainz, is going through renovations and on Wednesday an active bomb used during World War II was discovered while the renovations were in progress.
Work immediately stopped and around 3,500 people were evacuated from the area. The club’s press conference was also canceled. The bomb is reported by CBS Sports to be a 1100-pound American aerial bomb, which is scheduled to be deactivated on Friday.
The bomb itself had to be defused in order to remove it from the area, Sunday’s league game against Cologne is still expected to be played.
Bomb scare at Mewa Arena
Mainz are currently 15th in the Bundesliga and in need of a win to secure points in order to not drop to relegation positions. Mainz is famously home to former USMNT striker Conor Casey, who played from 2004-2006 for the club, and scored 3 goals in 40 league games.
When it comes to the old wounds that was World War II, in Germany it is reported to be a common occurrence to find bombs from the war all over the country.
Germany suffered millions of tons of bombardment during the war from Allied and Soviet forces with many bombs never exploding despite hitting the ground.
The city of Mainz suffered 30 air raids from the English and American forces during the war.