The start of ARD's World Cup broadcast on Thursday evening went differently than planned. Before the quarterfinal between France and Morocco, Bastian Schweinsteiger (41) was not sitting next to host Esther Sedlaczek (40) as usual. Commentator Philipp Sohmer (51) had initially taken the expert's seat.
Sedlaczek informed viewers about the unusual lineup at the start of the broadcast at 9 p.m. "Wow, Basti has changed. No, it's Philipp Sohmer sitting here and I'm very glad you're here because you had to step in on short notice. Because, dear viewers, things don't always go according to plan", the host said.
Two Hours in Traffic
Shortly thereafter, a video message provided the explanation. Schweinsteiger checked in from the back seat of a car stuck in traffic around Gillette Stadium in the Boston suburb of Foxborough. "Hello Esther, I'm sorry, I'm stuck in total gridlock. I've never experienced anything like this in my life. I left early enough, I've been stuck in traffic here for two hours now and it still shows 50 minutes to the stadium", the former national team player reported.
He continued: "Look here, this is what it looks like approximately. Of course, you can't drive left or right anywhere either. Yes, I hope I still see you. Otherwise, you can start doing the analyses." Through the window, he filmed the column of stationary vehicles.
The World Champion Finally Jogs to the Stadium
However, Schweinsteiger didn't want to remain idle in the end. Another video played showed him jogging alongside the blocked cars on his way to the stadium. In temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius, he arrived visibly out of breath. At 9:08 p.m., Sedlaczek announced her colleague's return. "I have good news! Philipp, we'll hear from you again later. But now that our expert has actually arrived - and he really gave it his all - I'd say let's make a flying change here", the host said.
With a bright red face, Schweinsteiger took his seat next to Sedlaczek. However, she declined a hug given the thoroughly sweaty expert. "I don't want to hug you! But I'm still very happy that you're here", she said. Schweinsteiger took the exertion with humor. "Yes, well, the willingness to run for a quarterfinal was definitely there. And now I also understand, dear FIFA, the drink break does make sense", he joked, referring to the hydration breaks during matches that are controversial among many fans.
