Curious test against Eindhoven
HSV protests against red card and restarts game
January 7, 2024, 9:10 p.m
A 90-minute test match between Hamburger SV and PSV Eindhoven spontaneously turns into two 45-minute test matches. The trigger is a red card for a former Bundesliga professional.
One of the supposed certainties of football is “a game lasts 90 minutes.” During the test kick between Hamburger SV and PSV Eindhoven, this certainty was lifted at short notice. The German second division team and the leaders of the Dutch Eredivisie had actually agreed in advance to integrate a simple game into their training camp in the south of Spain. And they ended up playing 90 minutes. However, in two separate, consecutive games of 45 minutes each. The first game ended 2-2, the second 0-0.
How did this strange double pack come about? After just over half an hour, the former Leverkusen and current PSV defender André Ramalho was tempted to make an emergency stop in the penalty area and was shown a red card for it. But not only Ramalho’s teammates protested against the referee’s decision, but even Hamburg’s captain Jonas Meffert. However, in vain. Robert Glatzel gave HSV the lead with the following penalty, Eindhoven equalized shortly afterwards through Luuk de Jong, then the (supposed) half-time whistle followed.
Even during the break, the referees refused to be persuaded to take back the red card. And so the clubs quickly agreed to split the 90-minute game into two independent 45-minute games. HSV captain Meffert explained the reason for this to the “Bild” newspaper: “We told the referee that it makes no sense to play with one more man in a friendly game.” But he “somehow didn’t understand that,” even though “all the players are of the opinion that we should continue playing eleven against eleven.”
The NDR reported that the referees even suggested a game of ten against ten. After all, he cannot simply “forget” the professional who was sent off or take back the expulsion; there is no such measure in the rules. Which is why HSV and PSV consulted and, according to Meffert, found the “best solution” with the restart. So even Redsinner André Ramalho was able to take part again in the second 45-minute kick. In which the second division team did well against the Champions League round of 16, who have so far had a perfect season in the Eredivisie with 16 wins in 16 games.