As announced, VfL Bochum lodged an objection against the rating on Monday (December 16, 2024).
Bochum’s goalkeeper Patrick Drewes was unable to continue playing at Union Berlin shortly before the final whistle because he was hit in the head by a lighter. A fan threw the object towards the field.
There are now two procedures:
- A common sports court procedure: Union Berlin may be sanctioned for the behavior of its fans. The punishment can be a fine, but can also extend to partial exclusion or a ghost game. However, the sports court has not imposed such collective penalties in practice since 2017. The fan who threw the lighter was identified. This usually has a mitigating effect on the sentence.
- The objection process: This is about the game rating. The court basically has three options: rating the regular outcome of the game (1:1), a 2:0 rating for VfL Bochum or a replay of the game.
A passage in the DFB’s legal and procedural rules supports the outcome that the game will be counted for Bochum. Accordingly, one reason for an objection is the “Weakening of one’s own team due to a circumstance that occurred during the game that was unavoidable and unrelated to the game and an injury sustained during it“. It would be the first win of the season for VfL Bochum. However, it is also possible to maintain the final result of 1:1 and, at least in theory, to reschedule the game.
Bochum’s goalkeeper Patrick Drewes kneels injured on the ground.
Bochum will have to provide a certificate
Was the injury really that bad? Former national goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, once a frequent target of fans who threw objects towards the pitch, said: “I would have thought it would have been better if the goalkeeper had tried to keep playing.“Bochum’s managing director Ilja Kaenzig criticized”Perpetrator-victim reversal“.
One thing is clear: In case of doubt, the sports court will request a certificate that must credibly prove possible injuries to goalkeeper Drewes. Drewes was released from the hospital on Sunday night after a medical check-up, according to VfL. The goalkeeper complained of feeling unwell, nausea and headaches, which were also documented. He did not take part in the Bochum training session on Sunday.
According to the DFB, the process is correct
After a long break, referee Martin Petersen carried out the final minutes of the game. A real game no longer took place. Bochum had to play with one less player due to the exhausted substitution contingent.
“In our opinion, the referee should have stopped the game. That didn’t happen“said Bochum’s managing director Ilja Kaenzig, according to a statement from VfL after the game.”We announced that we would finish the game in protest. We will file an appeal on Monday.“
Referee Petersen said: “Both teams have agreed to continue playing. The security officials told me that the safety of the players is guaranteed.” DFB referee instructor Lutz Wagner told Sportschau that Petersen behaved correctly: “Once the decision has been made to ensure the safety of all involved and proper conduct, the game must continue. Everything else is a matter for the DFB sports court.“
Referee Petersen was once the victim of a lighter being thrown
Referee Petersen was also once hit by a lighter. In August 2015, in the first round game of the DFB Cup between third division team VfL Osnabrück and then second division club Rasenballsport Leipzig, he got a lighter to the head and stopped the game in the 71st minute when the score was 1-0 for Osnabrück. The game was scored 2-0 for Leipzig.
Referee Martin Petersen (r.) is accompanied from the pitch by his assistant Matthias Jöllenbeck in Osnabrück in 2015.
The cases are not directly comparable. There are two important differences: In Osnabrück, in contrast to the Union game against Bochum, the game was abandoned because the referee was affected. This is not absolutely necessary for a player. A substitution can at least make it possible to continue the game.
VfL Bochum was also involved in such a case. A Bochum fan hit assistant referee Christian Gittelmann with a beer cup during a home game against Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2022. The game was also canceled and scored 2-0 for Gladbach.