The Loko-Kuban basketball club had a contingent of fans traveling by bus to Nizhny Novgorod for the pivotal game against Pari NN. En route through the Rostov region, the bus became engulfed in an extended traffic tie-up that stretched the day into the late afternoon. This update comes from the Telegram channel Kub Mash, which has been monitoring the situation and sharing live details with supporters who were hoping to witness the match in person.
Reports indicate that the Loko-Kuban supporters’ bus halted for an astonishing 16 hours as it sat in a lengthy queue along the Rostov Shakhty corridor. The vehicle did not proceed for a significant span, while traffic along the M4 Don remained congested, moving at a far slower pace than usual. With children among the travelers, concerns grew that they might miss the tip-off and arrive too late to take their seats for the game they traveled to see. The gridlock rendered the journey uncertain and created anxiety among fans who had counted on timely arrival.
As officials and organizers anticipated a 7:30 PM start for the match, the supporters remained hopeful that traffic would ease enough to reach the arena in time. The delay brought a unique blend of patience and resolve from loyal Loko-Kuban fans, who waited through the delay with the kind of camaraderie that often defines sports fans when a long road trip tests their commitment and enthusiasm for the team.
The deteriorating weather conditions did little to help. What began as a rainy, snowy night in the Rostov region soon culminated in more widespread snowfall, transforming the highway scene along the M-4 Don into a wintry obstacle course. The snow compounded the already heavy traffic, creating a sense of urgency for drivers and a dash of uncertainty for those hopeful of a timely arrival to the event. In such conditions, travel time expanded rapidly, forcing many motorists to adapt and endure the stretch ahead with patience and resolve.
Later updates from the same source indicated a slight easing of the standstill. The length of the traffic jam on the M4 Don’s Rostov region stretch reportedly shortened to about 20 kilometers, offering a glimmer of relief for those stuck in line and for the fans who remained determined to reach their destination before the opening minutes of the game. While the exact arrival times could not be guaranteed, the diminution of the bottleneck brought renewed optimism that the supporters might still join the tail end of the event, or perhaps catch the latter stages on screen if they could not reach the venue in time.