Defense in the beer mug scandal: Bochum wants to achieve a replay

Defense in the beer mug scandal
Bochum wants a replay

Because linesman Christian Gittelmann was hit by a beer mug, VfL Bochum’s Bundesliga game against Borussia Mönchengladbach had to be abandoned. A punishment of the Ruhr area club is considered likely, but the lawyer argues differently.

Bundesliga club VfL Bochum apparently wants to play a replay after the game against Borussia Mönchengladbach was abandoned. This is reported by the “Bild” newspaper. The game was stopped last Friday when the score was 2-0 after a club supporter threw a cup and hit assistant referee Christian Gittelmann in the head. He had suffered a contusion and whiplash.

“The offender bought his drink completely legally and the club was not at fault for the crime,” argued VfL lawyer Horst Kletke to “Bild”. “That’s why the game has to be replayed. That’s in paragraph 18, the fourth point of the DFB’s legal and procedural rules.” The paragraph stipulates that a game must be replayed if neither team is to blame for the abandonment. Following Kletke’s logic, this would only have been the case if the perpetrator had smuggled his cup into the stadium.

However, this defense strategy probably has little chance of success before the DFB sports court. It is much more likely that Bochum will be held responsible and punished for the scandal of his supporter. The rules of the game of the DFL stipulate that the club responsible for the demolition be penalized with a score of 0:2. That’s what happened in April 2011, when a Bundesliga game had to be abandoned. At that time, FC St. Pauli was also 2-0 down against FC Schalke 04 when a beer mug hit assistant referee Thorsten Schiffner in the 87th minute – thrown from the Pauli block.

In addition to the jurisdiction, VfL is also dealing with its stadium rules after the scandal. An alcohol ban is being considered, which could take effect in the next home game against Bayer Leverkusen, spokesman Ilja Kaenzig told the “WAZ” on Tuesday.

The police and public prosecutor announced on Tuesday that they were interrogating a suspect. The 38-year-old from Bochum has so far “not gotten involved”. The investigations are ongoing.

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