The match with Bodo/Glimt was at risk of being postponed! » Inter has already filed a complaint with UEFA + Why Chivu's team is afraid
Article by Daniel Scorpie – Published Wednesday, February 18, 2026, 9:16 p.m. / Updated Wednesday, February 18, 2026, 9:17 p.m.
crystal Chivu has reason to fear the Arctic Circle match. It's not the temperature that scares him, but the “Aspmyra” stadium in Bodo. One side of the synthetic turf has been seriously damaged by snow removal machines and it has numerous bumps, which endanger the physical integrity of its players Inter. However, the match will be played at the originally scheduled time.
UPDATE 21:15 – 45 minutes before the match things seem to have settled down, and the game will start at the originally set time, there is no longer any risk of the game being postponed to a later date.
UPDATE 20:20 – Right now, a tractor (photo) “sifts” the synthetic surface, spraying water mixed with a special antifreeze to reduce the bumps that have formed, especially on the outer sides of the artificial turf at “Aspmyra Stadion”.
With less than three hours until the start of the first leg of the Champions League play-offs, Inter's delegation panicked in Norway. What the Nerazzurri were afraid of did not escape: the state of the playing surface is not at all in good condition before the match against Bodo/Glimt.
“It's all because of the heavy snowfall in the last few days and the 80 tons of snow cleared in 24 hours!”
As Gazzetta dello Sport also writes, the snow removal work damaged the field. There is no great risk of the match being put in jeopardy, but the Italians ask UEFA for guarantees before entering the field, because they are afraid of injuries, they are not even used to synthetic grass.
The “Hell of the Ice”, as the arena in Bodo is known, has, especially on one of the sides, uneven turf, dangerous for the players.
“It's all because of the heavy snowfall in the last few days. 80 tons of snow being cleared in 24 hours. To clear the ground, the machines used by the Norwegian club lifted the synthetic turf, leaving waves of worry in the Serie A leader's camp.” writes the pink daily.
Yesterday, in the official training, Chivu had focused on that uneven part of the pitch, at the limit of regulation, certainly not suitable for the Champions League.
“Some of Chivu's players have seen how problematic it is to move on a stretch of synthetic pitch in these conditions”
“The Romanian coach had asked for the situation to be resolved as quickly as possible, and during the same session, some players saw how problematic it is to move on a part of the field in these conditions.
There was no official protest, but Inter today reiterated the need to intervene on the pitch to prevent player injury and communicated directly with the Norwegian club and UEFA during the meetings scheduled for the day of the match,” wrote Gazzetta dello Sport.
The organizers are working intensively on “Aspmyra” to ensure that Bodo/Glimt – Inter will run smoothly. Before the 21:00 start, the umpire brigade, led by Germany's Siebert, will inspect the pitch and it is hoped that the pitch will be back to normal by then.
