Dortmund boss considered pullout after blast

Berlin: Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke says he flirted with the idea of pulling the club out of the Champions League after Tuesday’s attack on the team bus before resolving not to give in to the bombers.

“I briefly asked myself if we shouldn’t withdraw completely from the competition, but that would have been a victory for those responsible for the attack,” Watzke told Saturday’s Der Spiegel magazine.

The Bundesliga club eventually played their quarter-final first leg tie against Monaco 24 hours later on Wednesday. The attack on the bus as it made its way from Dortmund’s hotel to the stadium injured Spanish international Marc Bartra and a policeman.