Bochum (dpa) – horror, anger and incomprehension: The throwing of a drink cup in the game VfL Bochum against Borussia Mönchengladbach caused a scandal at the start of the 27th match day of the Bundesliga.
The central questions and answers after the game was abandoned in Bochum’s Ruhrstadion:
How is assistant referee Christian Gittelmann doing?
The 39-year-old who was hit by the drink cup is back home and recovering. “The goal took me away, especially since it hit my head with full force and unexpectedly,” he said in an interview published on the German Football Association (DFB) website. “Yesterday, as a precaution, I went to the hospital for a check-up after the incident. A contused skull and whiplash were diagnosed.”
Gittelmann announced that he would take a few days “to calm down and process the matter. I’ll be happy if I can return to the pitch as soon as possible. I’m already scheduled for an international match next weekend “.
Is the problem of cup tosses new?
No. VfL Bochum even produced a video clip on the subject with a sponsor and showed it on the stadium screens before the game in front of 25,000 spectators. The beer is not for throwing, but for drinking, says VfL captain Anthony Losilla in the clip. “What else should we do?” Bochum’s CEO Hans-Peter Villis told the “Bild”. “We produced a video before the game in which we said that our fans should stop throwing cups and drink the Fiege beer. That’s not VfL.”
What do the rules say in such a case?
Dealing with game abandonments is regulated in the legal and procedural regulations of the German Football Association (DFB). Paragraph 18, paragraph 4 states: “If a national game is stopped prematurely through no fault of either team, it must be repeated at the same place. If a team or its club or both clubs are at fault for the game being stopped, the game belongs to the the guilty with 0:2 goals as lost, the innocent with 2:0 goals as won.If the innocent achieved a more favorable result at the time of the abandonment, this result is evaluated.This applies accordingly if a subsidiary is involved .”
The German Football League (DFL) stipulates in its rules of play that the legal bodies of the DFB make the decision on the game evaluation. Accordingly, it can be assumed that the game will be evaluated in favor of Borussia Mönchengladbach.
The DFB control committee has already started the investigation. In the first step, the committee will evaluate the special reports from the referees and the safety supervision as well as the television pictures, according to a DFB announcement on Saturday afternoon. In addition, an investigation would be initiated against the home team and opinions would be obtained.
Was there a similar case?
Yes, in 2011 in Hamburg. 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. As a result, St. Pauli had to play the first game of the 2011/12 second division season at least 50 kilometers outside of Hamburg and won 2-0 against FC Ingolstadt in Lübeck. The DFB sports court had corrected a decision from the first instance, according to which St. Pauli had been sentenced to a game without spectators.
What do club officials say?
Bochum’s sports manager Sebastian Schindzielorz spoke on ZDF of an “incident that of course must not happen in this form and as I said: We have to apologize in all forms.” The assistant coach of VfL, Markus Gellhaus, who represented the head coach Thomas Reis, who was infected with the corona virus, said: “There is no excuse for such an action. That’s why you can absolutely understand that they stop the game.” The 51-year-old added: “It’s natural to assume that the game will be scored against us.”
Gladbach’s sporting director Roland Virkus said: “No one in the world would want a football game to end like this.” He also said: “The atmosphere was good, a cool mood, a good audience actually. It annoys me that it ended like this. Whether it was an individual? We have to take care of each other, something like that shouldn’t happen.”
What are the players saying?
The litter also caused incomprehension and anger among the players. “That’s what WE stand for and not for these people who trample football!” Bochum’s goalkeeper Manuel Riemann wrote on Instagram about a picture with the VfL jersey and the imprint “Vereint Friedlich Leben”. His story also read: “It’s very sad that something like this is called a VfL Bochum fan!” Riemann ran out of his goal after the game was stopped and yelled at the fans in the section of the stands where the cup came flying.
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.