Sports field ruined:

50 seconds of “stupid fun” and a merciful club

The "strawberry stadium" in Pupping was badly damaged by the "drifter"(Bild: UFC Eferding)

"I'm sorry, it was a stupid idea" - self-awareness is known to be the first road to recovery. And the confession of the very young car hooligan fell on merciful ears at the club whose sports field he had "plowed up" within 50 seconds. The young Upper Austrian has to make amends for the damage, and that's that.

"The action took place on Sunday, December 28 at 3.02 am at the Wörth sports field and was filmed by a surveillance camera," posted the UFC Eferding officials on social media on Monday. And gave the person responsible a deadline of 2 January, otherwise the footage would go to the police and charges would be brought. Before then, the perpetrator would still have time to make amends and avoid a criminal record. "After all, we don't want to expose anyone or ruin anyone's future," they continued.

Training is delayed
"Of course you can repair it yourself, but it takes time. Soil has to be applied and spread, then new grass has to be laid," explained groundsman Gerhard Schabetsberg to the "Krone" when asked. It's annoying that they actually wanted to start training here in February, but it won't happen before April because the grass also has to grow in.

Contract seals the "mercy"
At least there was some positive news in the afternoon: "The person responsible has contacted me," reported the groundsman. A young lad, barely a month in possession of his driver's license, had the "stupid idea", as he himself admitted. He had drifted across the pitch for 50 seconds, making wide arcs that dug deep into the ground. "He promised to make up for the damage. That's the end of the matter for us," says Schabetsberger. The mayor of Puppingen also agrees with the "mercy", but there will be a written contract to ensure that the polluter actually fulfills his obligation.