In the first leg against HSV, Werder’s stadium announcer Arnd Zeigler explained to the Bremen audience why a Werder goal was not recognised. He is now being honored for this.
Werder’s stadium announcer and moderator Arnd Zeigler is awarded the Fair Play Prize by the German Football Association (DFB). That was decided by a jury in Frankfurt, as the DFB and Werder announced on Monday. The award ceremony will take place in September. Zeigler received the award because he soberly and objectively explained a decision made by referee Sascha Stegemann to the outraged Bremen public in the north derby between Bremen and Hamburger SV (0:2) on the 7th matchday of last season in the 2nd division.
Stegemann had previously disallowed a free-kick goal from Marvin Ducksch because Mitchell Weiser had placed himself in Hamburg’s three-man wall. This practice has been banned since the 2019/2020 season. The opposing player must be at least one meter away from the wall.
An e-teenager also receives a prize
E-Junior trainer Mario Wiggert from SG Bad Schwartau received the prize for the fairest amateur. After a wrong decision by a young referee in his first game, Wiggert encouraged him and recognized the decision. “To accept a wrong decision for the right reasons touched me,” said former Bundesliga referee and jury member Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb.
