DURBAN - Former South African football star Delron Buckley is still in shock over the bombs that went off near his former football club bus - the Borussia Dortmund’s team bus in Germany.
Buckley and soccer fans around the world were waiting to watch the Champions League quarter-final match between Dortmund and Monaco on Tuesday night.
The match was scheduled to be played at Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund.
Dortmund's defender Marc Bartra was injured in the incident.
The bus was transporting the team's players and management from the hotel and was en route to the club stadium, 10km away, when three bombs went off at the roadside, shattering the bus windows.
The team’s goalkeeper, Roman Burki, who was sitting at the back of the bus alongside Bartra, said: “The bus turned down the main street, and there was a giant explosion. After the bang, we all ducked in the bus and those who could, threw themselves to the ground.
"We did not know what had happened.
“We’re all shocked - nobody thought of a football match in this moment.”
Buckley, who also played for South Africa, said he was watching a German Television news channel at the time at his home in Hillcrest when the news broke.
Buckley spent most of his football career in Germany playing for Borussia Dortmund - 64 games in five seasons.
“It was such a tragic incident to watch on the news, especially since I have a connection with the team. I know exactly where it happened because I had travelled with the team on this route on many occasions.”
He added: “It is a real shock for the soccer fraternity. I have many friends and players who I am trying to make contact with but they have not replied. If it is an act of terrorism it must not be condoned.”
According to the team’s official website, Dortmund's Bartra underwent surgery on Tuesday night. His radial bone in his arm was broken and bits of debris were lodged in his hand as a result of the bomb attack. He said on Wednesday that he was "doing much better".