Khaberni - Sweden's World Cup training in Frisco, Texas, had an unusual backdrop on Wednesday as the players prepared for their last group stage game against Japan on Thursday, under what appeared to be a collapsed grandstand and a large pile of rubble.
The sight also puzzled the players, including midfielder Bisfort Zeneli, who was asked by the accompanying Swedish media about the pile of rubble.
He said, quoting Aftonbladet newspaper: "I just thought: What happened? As far as I know, there was no storm."
The Athletic reported that Toyota Stadium, which usually hosts the FC Dallas team in the American Soccer League and the Dallas Renegades in the American Football League, is currently undergoing a renovation project worth $182 million.
The work is scheduled to be completed in 2028 and is ongoing alongside the World Cup training sessions. Although the demolition of the grandstand and press box was planned, a problem occurred.
Stefan Peterson, the manager of the Sweden national team, confirmed to Aftonbladet newspaper on Wednesday that he had been pre-warned about the issue, and that the team's ability to use the facility was not affected at all, and no one was hurt.
Peterson said: "Something was supposed to be demolished, and it seems it fell in the wrong direction. Fortunately, nobody was hurt. Maybe they blew it up then something went wrong."
He added: "The players were a bit astonished when they arrived. They said: 'Oh my God, what happened?' when they came and saw it. They didn’t know anything about it before."
After Sweden's first match win against Tunisia 5-1, they lost by the same score to the Netherlands in the second round, before drawing 2-2 with Japan in the third round.
A spokesperson for FC Dallas told The Athletic: "The activity seen near the FC Dallas Stadium occurred before Sweden's training session and was part of a planned and controlled demolition process within an active construction area. The work was carried out using a pull-down method, and did not involve any explosives. The training proceeded on schedule, and Sweden completed their session as planned."
