Spain’s final training session before the FIFA World Cup final was disrupted after severe thunderstorms forced the team to cancel their training in New Jersey. Luis de la Fuente’s squad were scheduled to work at the Melanie Lane Training Ground ahead of Sunday’s title clash against defending champions Argentina at the New York New Jersey Stadium. However, the session was first suspended due to weather conditions before being abandoned completely.
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) confirmed that the decision was taken under storm safety measures in place in the United States. Players moved indoors for a warm-up session after outdoor activities were halted.
โThe Spanish national team’s training session on the pitches at the Melanie Lane Training Ground in New Jersey has been suspended in accordance with the US storm safety protocol,” the Spanish federation (RFEF) said in a statement. โThe players are currently taking part in a warm-up session indoors,โ it further read.ย
While Spain could not complete their planned outdoor session, Argentina later managed to train at their base in Morristown, located around five miles away, after a delay of 45 minutes. Meanwhile, FIFA, informed Spain that no alternative training slot would be available on Saturday.
New York under flood threat
Notably, the weather conditions also prompted warnings across the region. New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced that the city was under a flood advisory and urged residents to avoid unnecessary risks during the dangerous conditions.
US storm regulations require outdoor sporting activities to stop if lightning or electrical activity is recorded within an eight-mile radius of the venue. Activities can only restart after a period of at least 30 minutes without any further lightning strikes.
The weather-related interruption followed another challenge earlier in the week when officials in New York and New Jersey issued an air quality health alert because of haze linked to wildfires in Canada.
Spain reached the final after defeating France 2-0 in the semifinal, while Argentina secured their place in the showpiece match with a late 2-1 comeback victory over England on the following night. Spain, in the meantime, are chasing their first title since 2010, while Argentina are looking to defend their crown.
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