“Clear penalty”
After the cup exit: Ex-HSV professional taunts Heidenheim coach
October 29, 2025 – 6:14 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
1. FC Heidenheim failed in the second round of the DFB Cup against Hamburger SV. Then coach Frank Schmidt vents his anger. But then an old friend speaks up.
Sonny Kittel, who was on the pitch for HSV in the dramatic promotion final of the 2nd Bundesliga in 2023, reacted to Schmidt’s criticism with irony. The 32-year-old, currently without a club, commented under a video of the Sky Sport interview: “Luckily, in the 14 minutes of stoppage time in Regensburg, it was a clear penalty.”
Kittel was alluding to the decisive long-distance promotion duel in May 2023. At that time, Heidenheim had turned the game around in the 3-2 win in Regensburg with two goals in stoppage time: a controversial penalty from Jan-Niklas Beste (90th+3) and a goal from Tim Kleindienst (90th+9). HSV, who had secured a 1-0 win in Sandhausen, slipped to third place – direct promotion for the “Rothosen” was lost, and the North Germans later failed in relegation against VfB Stuttgart. The fact that Schmidt was now harshly criticizing his team after an equally questionable penalty in a game against Hamburg, of all things, caused ridicule among many HSV fans – Kittel’s comment got the discussion rolling again.
Schmidt’s allegations now referred to two decisions by referee Benjamin Brand: the sending off of Tim Siersleben shortly before half-time (emergency brake) and the late penalty for HSV. Even without VAR, both scenes caused plenty of discussion – on and off the pitch.