A plane carrying the German football team was forced to make an unplanned diversion and landing after transmitting a distress signal following their victory in Iceland.
That’s what’s reported by The Sun, who write that the flight “encountered difficulty while mid-air over Scotland and sent out a Code 7700 distress signal.”
The specific problem is not mentioned in the report, nor is it on the official social media channels of the German team, who kept fans in the loop during the worrying situation.
Our flight home has been diverted to Edinburgh in order to carry out a precautionary safety inspection on the plane.
Everyone is fine and patiently waiting while the staff go about their business calmly and professionally. Another coffee it is then! ☕#DieMannschaft pic.twitter.com/Cqb4c1v0Hj
— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) September 9, 2021
ℹ️ A replacement plane is now en route to Edinburgh to bring the players, coaches, staff and the DFB delegation back to Germany.#DieMannschaft
— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) September 9, 2021
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There must have been a technical issue with the plane that flew them from Iceland to Edinburgh – presumably nothing too serious – but it’s better to take precautions.
With the replacement aircraft having arrived, the German squad have now all made it safely to their destination, which they’ll no doubt be delighted with after a pretty harrowing evening.
It’ll be a concern for the likes of Chelsea, who had Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Antonio Rudiger on the flight, that they have had a disturbed evening so close to their Saturday match day.
With all three having also been involved in the game itself, you wonder if Thomas Tuchel will be forced into resting them when the Blues take to the turf against Aston Villa.
Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno and Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan were all also on the flight. They’ll be glad to be home and home safe.