Article by Daniel Scorpie – published on Friday, September 5, 2025 20:51 / Updated on Friday, September 5, 2025 23:15
Luxembourg's national youth team was involved on a bus accident on Sorient, where a qualifying match for Euro 2027 was to be played on Thursday night. Five players arrived in the hospital, as they announced the football federations of both countries. Fortunately, after receiving medical care, they were discharged, but the match was postponed to the agreement of both parties.
The accident occurred between Lorient and Pontivy, in western France, after The bus entered a ditch. The event occurred after the driver was hurt by the wheelthe bus company said.
“We show them all their support and hope for a quick recovery of the members of the Luxembourg delegation, who were injured and shocked, as well as the bus driver,” said the president of the French Football Federation, Philippe Diallo. The match, scheduled for Friday, will be played now on October 3 next year.
On the verge of tragedy, France U21 – Luxembourg U21 has not played. “It was a small miracle for the young coach Mutsch”
The bus moved from the stadium to the Luxembourg team hotel after a training session. “The 53 -year -old bus driver has been working in this position and has no history of road accidents,” the company said.
“His latest medical tests were fine,” added the same source, specifying that an alcoholic and drug test gave negative results, and the vehicle he was driving has passed a technical inspection in July 2025.
“The fact that medical exams have confirmed only a few cuts, bruises and back pain was described as a small miracle for coach Mario Mutsch,” Luxembourg Times wrote.
“The players started screaming, and the windows exploded”
“We had just returned from training on the eve of the match at the Moustoir Stadium in Lorient,” explained Léon Hilger, the head of the Luxembourg U21 delegation, who was going to face the young French tonight in Brittany. The two federations agreed to postpone the match following the accident.
A red code emergency plan with dozens of ambulances and fire crews was activated
One player gave the alarm, seeing the bus turn dangerously towards the land, he started screaming, “confessed Léon Hilger, the head of the Luxembourg U21 delegation. It was a journey that had to last about an hour. About halfway, the driver of the bus that was transporting the 32nd delegation to 32 Luxembourg.
At that time, the bus was traveling on N24, which has four lanes, near the Langidic municipality, between Lorient and Rennes. “I was traveling at a normal speed, between 80 km and 90 km/h,” explained Hilger. The vehicle left the road, hitting the ditch and terrace on the right side of the road. It was overturned, slipping with the right side glued to the terrace.
“We went so 50 meters and the windows were made”
“We continued to go about 50 meters,” Hilger said. Given the speed of the vehicle, the force of the impact and the vegetation in the area, the “windows exploded”, spreading glass shards inside. Some of the bus occupants were injured by chicks, including the Laurent Mond's goalkeeper.
Those in the bus was impossible to get out, because the right side of the vehicle, where the doors are, was stuck to the earthworks. “I stayed like that, locked in, for an hour and a half or maybe two hours. It was hot, the young people were screaming and they were shocked. Our doctor then did what was needed to start treating the wounded,” Hilger added.
According to the French press, a plane with a red intervention code was activated, for managing a large number of potential victims, some publications saying that 29 ambulances and 50 fire crews were mobilized for the incident. Firefighters evacuated passengers on the driver's door, starting with the driver himself.
The injured players were taken to the hospital in the middle of the night!
Shocked by the accident, the Luxembourg delegation was hosted at a Langid community room, made available by the local authorities, the passengers being transported there by a local police bus. “We stayed there between 30 and 40 minutes. Time to evaluate everyone's condition and try to achieve what we just went through. It was very shocking for everyone.”Hilger said.
Although eight people were reported as injured on Thursday evening, only the members of the Luxembourg delegation – two players and two staff members – were taken to the Scorff Hospital in Lorient. “They were discharged around 2:00 with a few bandages, before they were taken back to our taxi hotel,” Hilger added.
Until Friday morning, the Luxembourg delegation in Brittany was looking for the fastest way to bring everyone back to the Great Duchy and expect to take the TGV high speed train on Friday night.
The match between France and Luxembourg will take place on October 3, confirmed the Luxembourg Federation, giving the team the long time to recover after the physical and emotional traumas of the accident.
