Bochum (AP) – The referee’s assistant had to go to the hospital, the players were angry: After the cup throwing scandal with the subsequent abandonment of the game in the Bundesliga duel between VfL Bochum and Borussia Mönchengladbach, the police are now looking for the person responsible.
The evaluation of the pictures is still ongoing, VfL will actively support the police in their investigations, the Bochum team announced on Saturday night. The Bundesliga club reserves the right, among other things, “to make claims for damages. Because we assume that VfL will be punished by the association,” says the statement.
Assistant referee Christian Gittelmann was hit by a beer mug in the 68th minute when the score was 2-0 for the guests from Mönchengladbach. Referee Benjamin Cortus first interrupted the game in front of 25,000 spectators in the Ruhr Stadium and stopped it about fifteen minutes later.
“In the event of a physical attack on a game official, in this case the assistant referee, there is simply no alternative to abandoning the game,” said Cortus on DAZN. The cup hit Gittelmann clearly in the head, said Cortus. “He was dazed, has been taken to the hospital and will be examined accordingly,” said the main referee. Florian Heft, Cortus’ second assistant, accompanied Gittelmann to the hospital.
reaction of the players
The litter also caused incomprehension and anger among the players. “It’s very sad that something like this is called a VfL Bochum fan!” Manuel Riemann wrote on Instagram. The Bochum keeper ran out of his goal after the break in play and yelled at the fans in the section of the stands from which the cup flew.
Riemann’s currently injured teammate Simon Zoller also became apparent. “We, VfL Bochum, have been writing an incredible story for almost 2 years. This action is just disrespectful to all those who work their ass off every day to experience this journey! Let alone the linesman! YOU have nothing in the stadium lost!” the 30-year-old wrote on Twitter.
“Of course it can be assumed that the game will be scored against us,” said Bochum’s assistant coach Markus Gellhaus, who represented head coach Thomas Reis, who was infected with the corona virus, on the sidelines. This is actually to be assumed. A similar case happened in Hamburg in 2011. During the game between FC St. Pauli and FC Schalke 04, assistant referee Thorsten Schiffner was also hit by a cup. The game was stopped when Schalke was 2-0 and later scored 2-0 for Gelsenkirchen.