Third league scandal
Firecracker throw seriously injures Essen’s goalkeeper Wienand
March 4, 2026 – 9:36 p.mReading time: 1 min.
Essen’s goalkeeper Felix Wienand is injured by a firecracker during the game against Waldhof Mannheim. The game was interrupted for a long time and the 23-year-old was taken to hospital.
Goalkeeper Felix Wienand was injured by a firecracker during Rot-Weiss Essen’s home game against Waldhof Mannheim in the 3rd soccer league. The incident led to a long break in play and the suspected perpetrator was arrested.
In the 53rd minute, a firecracker exploded from the visitors’ block and hit the 23-year-old goalkeeper Felix Wienand. He fell to the ground and held his ears. Wienand was taken to hospital for an examination, where he was diagnosed with blast trauma and an acute stress reaction. Rot-Weiss Essen announced on the X platform that further examinations are planned to assess the injuries in more detail.
After a break of over 45 minutes, the game resumed. Essen coach Uwe Koschinat brought substitute goalkeeper Tino Casali into the game. The suspected perpetrator, a Mannheim fan, was identified and arrested.
A similar incident occurred in the Bundesliga in December 2024. At that time, Bochum’s goalkeeper Patrick Drewes was hit by a lighter. After an interruption the game was played to the end Bochum protested against the game scoring and was later awarded a victory.
