After their 2-2 tie with VfL Wolfsburg in the Women’s Champions League semifinal on Monday (AEST), Arsenal’s plane engine caught fire.
When the incident happened on the runway during takeoff, Australian defender Steph Catley and her Gunners colleagues were returning to London from the regional airport in Braunschweig-Wolfsburg.
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Caitlin Foord, a fellow Matilda who is still recovering from a hamstring injury, was spared the incident since she did not go to Germany with the team.
Witnesses described hearing a loud blast before the left engine of the Boeing 737 caught fire on the runway, as seen in a video obtained by the German media outlet BILD.
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An airport fire department arrived as the pilot aborted takeoff and taxied the aircraft, but according to reports, no one was hurt and no need for assistance from the emergency services.
An airport representative informed BILD that the fire was most likely started by a bird that flew into the engine.
In a statement to several media sites, Arsenal stated that “our aircraft developed a technical issue prior to takeoff on Sunday evening.”
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As a result of the team’s recent bad luck with injuries, fans responded to the news online by questioning who had cast a curse on them this season.
In 2022–2023, Jonas Eidevall lost four of his stars—Leah Williamson, Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema, and Kim Little—to season-ending injuries, while many other crucial players—Foord and Lina Hurtig (foot)—spent a significant amount of time on the sidelines.
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The second leg of Arsenal’s Champions League semifinal does not need them to travel, which is a blessing.
40,000 seats have already been sold for Catley and her team’s May 2 (AEST) match against Wolfsburg at the Emirates.
