Old Trafford, Westfalenstadion and the Modern Peril of Leaky Stadium Roofs

When a non-league football stadium suffers some kind of malfunction, it's understandable - these stadia are often old, rickety and in need of repair.

But when two of the most revered venues in world football start to show signs of disrepair, you know times are hard!

In the past few months, Old Trafford's roof issues got even worse and caused a waterfall-style effect during Manchester United's defeat to Arsenal in May.

And then, at EURO 2024, something eerily similar happened at Borussia Dortmund's Westfalenstadion home...

Springing a Leak

Those that bet on EURO 2024 tucked into the 7/2 odds about France lifting the trophy. Les Bleus headed to the Westfalenstadion for their final group game against Poland, hoping that their defence would be more water-tight than the roof at the 66,000-capacity arena.

Portugal, dark horses in the EURO 2024 tips, also had a date at the Westfalenstadion in Group F, while to make matters worse for tournament officials, the second semi-final on July 10 is also scheduled to be played there.

Quite how such a monumental failing in the stadium went unnoticed before the start of the event is anybody's guess. As a downpour drenched Dortmund during the EURO 2024 contest between Turkey and Georgia, the rainwater could be seen sliding through a hole in the roof and onto the fans below - forcing them to run for shelter elsewhere in the stand.

We have inclement weather here in Dortmund. And an Old Trafford roof scenario at both ends before Turkey-Georgia. Serious storm. That water is coming down hard on the fans in lower tiers. pic.twitter.com/uhGXNg0ZpI
— tariq panja (@tariqpanja) June 18, 2024

While the ‘waterfall' created was the source of comedy - one stadium worker went viral after appearing to try and solve the situation by ‘kicking' water down an open drain, before using a plank of wood to achieve a similar result.

Comical attempts aside, the situation could have had serious safety consequences had the problem occurred during the game and not in the hour or so before kick-off. So how did the Westfalenstadion's roof pass the necessary safety checks?

Counting the Cost

There's that old wives' tale that it always rains in Manchester, but it certainly came down on Sunday May 12, 2024 - the day that Manchester United welcomed Arsenal to Old Trafford for a key Premier League game.

Some 41mm of rain fell on the day, with the stadium's below-par roof unable to cope with the deluge.

According to United officials, the downpour overworked the roof's drainage system, which in turn caused a remarkable waterfall to drench the hardy fans sat in the Stretford End.

'World famous' Old Trafford waterfall sends fans running as rain deluge hits Manchester United's homehttps://t.co/vwayNSJjQM
— Standard Sport (@standardsport) May 12, 2024

Many fans of the club have commented on the problems with the roof before - although such complaints have been denied by Red Devils officials, it's also true that they have costed a project to replace the roof on that side of the stadium.

On at least two other occasions - in a game against Crystal Palace in September 2022, plus during a local derby versus Manchester City in 2019 - the Stretford End has played witness to a surge of water giving supporters sat in that section an impromptu shower.

As the costs of competing on the pitch, in terms of transfer fees and player wages, continue to rise, are football clubs neglecting the upkeep of their home stadiums?