Racism scandal at the game between 1860 Munich and Cottbus

Players insulted and thrown at

Racism incident: Third division game interrupted for longer

The third division game between 1860 Munich and Energie Cottbus had to be interrupted for a few minutes. The reason was a racist incident.

In the 3rd league there was a racist incident during the game between 1860 Munich and Energie Cottbus, which caused a long interruption in the game. In the 72nd minute of the game, Cottbus’ Justin Butler tried in vain to get a pass on the sideline.

After the ball went out of bounds, Butler became visibly upset, initially because of his teammate’s inaccurate pass. But suddenly the 24-year-old striker’s anger was directed at the audience. He pointed his finger at the audience and cursed in the direction of the stands. Munich’s Marvin Rittmüller, who was nearby, quickly joined his opponent’s tirade of abuse and also walked towards the spectators with his finger raised.

Shortly afterwards, several beer cups flew towards Butler. Referee Konrad Oldhafer immediately interrupted the game and, after some discussions, sent both teams to the substitutes’ bench, where he had further discussions with the team captains and coaches. In the meantime, the TV picture showed a fan being expelled from the stadium.

In the TV commentary, the RBB reported monkey noises against Butler, which are said to have triggered the interruption. The stadium announcer also spoke of a racist incident in his announcement in the stadium, which triggered whistles from the audience. The stadium announcer also apologized for the incident, and shouts of “Nazis out” could be heard from the 1860 fan block.

After an interruption of around seven minutes, the game finally resumed. Butler also continued to play, but visibly had to collect himself. 1860 Munich won the game 3-0.

Cottbus coach Claus-Dieter Wollitz showed little understanding that the game continued. “I said to the referee, ‘We accept defeat.’ He can stop the game to make a statement. We always talk, but no one acts. That’s sad for the player and for everyone else,” Wollitz said on MagentaTV and continued: “That person is said to have made a fool of himself. That’s why there was a rush. It happens again and again. No matter who and no matter where: None of us have the attitude to abandon a game.”

But Oldhafer acted according to the rule. The three-stage plan of the European Football Union (Uefa) is being implemented in German football. In the event of racist incidents in the stadium, referees should initially interrupt the game for a short time, in the event of further incidents for a longer period of time or abandon it in the third stage.