Uproar in Bochum
Referee explains the long half-time break
January 21, 2024, 12:26 a.m
The half-time break in the Bundesliga game Bochum against Stuttgart lasted around an hour – for security reasons. The referee and VfL defend the long delay.
According to referee Bastian Dankert, the long delay in the start of the second half of the Bundesliga game between VfL Bochum and VfB Stuttgart was unavoidable. “The rules say that after 30 minutes you say: Do we still see a little light at the end of the tunnel or not. We were informed after 30 minutes that there was already a possibility that we could continue the game again,” said the referee of the game on ARD: “Accordingly, we made the most of this moment.”
Dankert did not restart the game on Saturday afternoon after the first half when the score was 0-0 because visiting fans had blocked escape gates and escape routes with fence flags. It was only possible to continue after a delay of around 40 minutes. In the end, Bochum won the game 1-0.
VfL Bochum said in a statement: “A continuation of the game would be grossly negligent; in an emergency, human lives would have been in danger.” However, the banners could have been loosened to such an extent that “escape was guaranteed again with the help of increased personnel deployment”. After that, the fire department no longer had any objections to continuing the game.
VfB coach Sebastian Hoeneß and some Stuttgart players had spoken to the fans to get them to remove the tooth flags, but initially without success. Apparently the supporters argued that the flags had already hung in the same place in the first half.
He could say “that no one looks good when a situation like this arises. All of us – we, the other side – simply didn’t give a good picture,” said Hoeneß. Bochum’s coach Thomas Letsch also said: “I just think it’s unnecessary. I don’t even want to imagine a game being canceled because of such an unnecessary situation.”