The appeals of Bundesliga clubs Holstein Kiel and FC St. Pauli against the judgment in the “Skandal Game of Köpenick” are not permitted. This was decided by the Federal Supreme Court of the German Football Association (DFB) at the hearing on Friday (28.02.2025) in Frankfurt/Main. Union Berlin’s appeal will be negotiated in the course of the afternoon.
Kiel and St. Pauli, two relegated clubs, had joined the league competitor Union Berlin, who contested the decision of the DFB sports court to throw the lighter in the game on December 14th against VfL Bochum.
“This legal question is not so interesting for the result, because St. Pauli and Kiel presented the same argument as Union Berlin” “said the Federal Court Chairman Oskar Riedmeyer: “Neither St. Pauli nor Kiel get points. It is about the restriction of ‘immediacy’. It would be a much too wide interpretation criterion if every association could appeal. The circle of those who are allowed to appeal cannot be drawn too big. “
Allegations of Bochum’s lawyer towards Kiel and St. Pauli
Kiel and St. Pauli had justified the admissibility of their application for appeal “The regulation of the legal and procedural order aims exactly on such a case”. This provides for such a constellation on a prerequisite that those affected “Provide the immediate legitimate interest in the decision”.
Bochum’s lawyer Christoph Schickhardt said in the direction of the legal representation of Kiel and St. Pauli: “Stop morality and sporting integrity – you are only concerned with the points.” On the last matchday, St. Pauli welcomes the Bochumer – possibly for a final for the class.
The trigger: Bochums Drewes from Feuerzug met
The Köpenicker game against Bochum (1: 1) was rated 0-2 against the Berliners after the appeal of the VfL and an oral hearing on January 9. Bochum’s goalkeeper Patrick Drewes had been hit by a lighter in the final phase of the league game, which had flown from the Berlin fan curve.
After a long break by referee Martin Petersen, the game had continued 1-1 without Drewes and ended with a “non -aggression pact” of the two teams.