On Friday, forms of gallows humor could also be felt in Köpenick, if you will: remarkably. Because Friday was the day after DFB judge Stephan Oberholz’s verdict in the “lighter scandal” case, which occurred around the game between 1. FC Union and VfL Bochum.
“I think I am the first coach to start with 17 points – and start the season with 16,” grumbled Steffen Baumgart, who was introduced as Berlin’s new coach at the beginning of the year – and is now ahead of his Bundesliga Debut with Union had to watch helplessly as the mission imposed on him, to stay in the class, suddenly became less difficult. Because DFB judge Stephan Oberholz reassessed the game on Thursday, which had ended at 1-1, and awarded Bochum a 2-0 win and thus “Bic Points” in the relegation battle, as immediately appeared on the net and based on the well-known Disposable lighter manufacturer “Bic” was a play on words.
:“The goalkeeper Drewes was injured”
VfL Bochum was awarded three points after throwing a lighter in the 1-1 draw against 1. FC Union. Reason: Goalkeeper Drewes did not perform any “smear comedy” and the game would have had to be abandoned.
Union couldn’t really laugh about it; the outrage over the verdict was too great. “We will exhaust all legal means available to us and take action against the verdict,” the club announced on Thursday after a board meeting. In addition, Union President Dirk Zingler made it more than clear. Not just in relation to the thrower from the fan block, whom Union immediately located and handed over to the police. “The actual unsportsmanlike scandal took place after the event on the pitch and today in court,” Zingler was quoted as saying.
In addition to the DFB sports court, this remark could only have been aimed at Bochum and their goalkeeper Patrick Drewes. They tried – ultimately successfully – to “gain an advantage” from an event that “couldn’t be prevented by any organizer,” said Zingler. This is particularly worse “if uninvolved third parties are also significantly disadvantaged as a result,” emphasized Zingler. As a reminder: The game between Union and Bochum was already 1-1 in added time when the lighter flew and touched goalkeeper Drewes’ head. Bochum were outnumbered due to a sending off in the first half and had exhausted their substitution quota, so they could only put one field player in the goal for a few minutes remaining.
The uninvolved third parties that Zingler was referring to include, in particular, the teams that currently have to fear relegation – and are therefore in close combat with Union and Bochum. Only if Union’s appeal before the DFB Federal Court is successful could prevent Bochum from having two more points than on Wednesday; including “Bic Points”, Bochum would be level on points with second-to-last Holstein Kiel and within two points of third-from-bottom Heidenheim. A broadcast by the SZ to representatives of the affected clubs met with a unanimous response: On the one hand, no one wanted to be quoted publicly about a pending procedure that had not yet been legally concluded. On the other hand, behind closed doors there was almost always a lack of understanding, and in some cases also horror and resentment, that the DFB court was intervening so massively in the ongoing relegation battle.
The team doctor had certified Drewe’s “delayed consciousness” and “slowed reactions”.
Of course, what happened, to quote Zingler, “after the event”, i.e. after the lighter was thrown “on the lawn”, and which caused raised eyebrows in many places in the Republic, also played a role. Judge Oberholz had seen “no evidence” that Drewes could have been acting. However, this formulation is entirely imprecise in view of the images and events that were observed after the throw. Because there were certainly “clues”.
Bochum’s goalkeeper Drewes was, among other things, confronted with the allegation that he had dramatized the effect of the throw and thus undermined the requirement of fair play because his VfL colleague Felix Passlack had whispered something to him behind closed doors before Drewes went down again . Of course, it is another matter whether proof of acting should or should be provided legally. The Bochum team doctor had certified that Drewes had “delayed consciousness” and “slowed reactions” in court. Passlack again testified that he told Drewes “to sit down, calm down and wait for medical help.”
The Union boss Zingler also noticed the procedure. “Whether one side is impaired or weakened, whether the game is stopped or continued, must always be the sole decision of the referee,” he demanded. Because: “If the benefiting party can explain its weakening itself, we no longer need impartial arbitrators and the door is open to fraud or smear theater. The disadvantaged parties will never be able to prove the opposite,” argued Zingler.
The game’s referee, Martin Petersen, decided to let the game end – after both teams agreed on a “non-aggression pact”. Judge Oberholz complained that the referee should have actually stopped the game, and because he didn’t do that at the time, the DFB court helped to a certain extent. Retrospectively. Whether the Federal Court supports this view will be an exciting question in the coming weeks.
When asked, VfL Bochum did not want to comment on Zingler’s criticism and Union, and coach Dieter Hecking also held back on Friday. At the press conference before the VfL game, he did not comment on the matter, but confirmed that Drewes had “made a very stable impression” recently. This is different from the days after the incident, as “a lot was coming at him” back then.
Beyond that, Zingler and Union see the verdict as more or less opening Pandora’s box. One is now exposed to the danger “that in the future it will not be the sporting achievements of the teams that decide how a game ends, but rather possible insults, insults, smoke or even the throwing of an object.” In summary: “This judgment is damaging Football is enormous, but it will not prevent the unacceptable throwing of objects.” Steffen Baumgart, in turn, vowed to do everything with his team on Saturday at 1. FC Heidenheim to get back the lost point.
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