Overview
- Inspectors and the head referee decided not to move the Rodina–Yenisey fixture scheduled for 18:30 Moscow time.
- Earlier in the day, Yenisey left morning practice and urged a postponement or cancellation after finding three to four deep cracks across the width of the field.
- Temperatures in Kirov were reported near −17°C on December 24, and Rodina hosts matches on an outdoor surface.
- Yenisey sports director Sergey Lomanov told TASS the ice failed because it was “cooked” rather than properly flooded and said fixing it would require tens of tons of 80°C water.
- Lomanov warned that playing on the damaged surface risks serious injuries, citing hazards such as boots sinking into cracks and potential ligament damage.