The friendly match between the Polish national team and Chile was due to take place on November 16 at Warsaw's National Stadium. The encounter is to be the last test for the Poles before they leave for the World Cup in Qatar. The fixture will be held at a different venue, as a malfunction was detected at the arena.

On November 10, 2022, PGE Narodowy underwent a routine technical inspection, during which one of the steel connectors of the roof structure was found to have a structural defect. The fault turned out to be so serious that no sporting or cultural events can take place at the venue until it is repaired. This means that the national team's match against Chile scheduled for November 16 will not be played at the stadium.

© Grzegorz Kaliciak / StadiumDB.com

The venue's operators issued a statement giving details of the problem: During the standard annual technical inspection of the roof's steel structure, a flaw in one of the elements of the steel-rope framework was revealed. In connection with the discovery of the defect, having immediately obtained the recommendation of the constructor of the structure in question, the Stuttgart-based company SBP, as well as its contractor, the Italian company Cimolai, and also following the advice of experts and out of concern for safety, the operator of PGE Narodowy has decided to temporarily close the stadium from use.

The defect relates to a rope connector supporting the stadium's spire. It turned out to be very seroius, as any activity has been banned at the venue after specialists were consulted. "This applies to sporting and cultural events, as well as conferences, congresses, activities in office spaces and tours of the arena," the statement says. Additional expertise is currently being carried out at Narodowy to assess the extent of the damage and how to repair it. Special control and measuring devices have also been installed to continuously monitor the condition of the connecting structure.

© Grzegorz Kaliciak / StadiumDB.com

The Ministry of Sport and Tourism has ordered the convening of a crisis team, which, in addition to representatives of the ministry, includes envoys from the Polish Football Association (PZPN) and PGE Narodowy operator. The association's spokesman, Jakub Kwiatkowski, told TVN 24 that fans who had bought tickets for the match would be refunded. In the event that the match is moved to another venue, a new ticket sale was launched. For the replacement arena, Stadion Wojska Polskiego at Łazienkowska Street in Warsaw was chosen.

The Minister of Sport and Tourism, Kamil Bortniczuk, told a press conference that he had ordered an additional inspection of the Narodowy's roof structure in March, as the warranty had run out after 10 years of use. At the time, no defects were found, but something must clearly have happened to the stadium since then.