Three explosions went off near the team bus of German football club Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, injuring Spanish defender Marc Bartra.
Security officials said there was no immediate indication the explosions were terrorism-related.
However, police in Dortmund said they believed it to be “an attack with serious explosive devices”.
The nature of the devices was not immediately known. However it is believed they could have been placed in a hedge near a car park, a spokesman said.
The incident came as the Dortmund squad, currently fourth in the Bundesliga, left the team hotel for the Champions League quarter-final match against French side Monaco.
The first-leg match was postponed until Wednesday, and spectators inside the stadium later left without incident.
Police said there were three separate explosions, bursting one of the vehicle’s windows and injuring one player, later identified by the club as Bartra.
He was taken to hospital with a hand injury, not thought to be serious.
Dortmund’s Swiss goalkeeper Roman Buerki told the Swiss newspaper Blick: “I was sitting in the back row next to Marc Bartra who was hit by shards from the burst back window.
“The bus had turned onto the main road when there was a big bang – a real explosion.”
Police deployed a drone to search for other possible explosive devices in the area around the team hotel, and said they found a suspicious object.
The explosions occurred around 7 pm (3am AEST) in Dortmund’s Hoechsten district, around 10km from the club’s stadium.
Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke told Germany’s Sky television there was an “explosive attack in the immediate vicinity of the hotel exit” as the bus moved from the hotel car park into Wittbraeucker Strasse.
“The team and the coaching staff are of course shocked. We must now channel it in some way,” he said.
“It will not be easy to get that out of the mind. In such a crisis situation, all at Borussia pull together. I think the team will feel it tomorrow.”
Club president Reinhard Rauball said: “Of course this is an extremely difficult situation for the players. But they are professionals, and I am convinced that they will put that away and will give a performance tomorrow.”
Government spokesman Steffen Seibert in a Twitter message wished Bartra a speedy recovery and praised Monaco fans in the stadium for chanting support for Dortmund after hearing news of the blasts.
“Great reaction of the Monaco fans. This evening we are all behind @BVB,” he tweeted in German.
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach also tweeted in support for Borussia.
Dortmund’s Ruhr region rivals Schalke from nearby Gelsenkirchen wished Bartra a speedy recovery and Dortmund fans a safe journey home.
“In moments like these the region holds closely together,” the club tweeted.
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