Bochum DFB objection: Lighter scandal: What does goalkeeper Drewes say in front of the sports court?

This Thursday (1:30 p.m.) in Frankfurt/Main, the sports court of the German Football Association will discuss VfL Bochum’s objection to the rating of the game at 1. FC Union Berlin (1:1) in an oral hearing. The Bochum goalkeeper Patrick Drewes was hit by a lighter and was unable to continue playing. VfL is now hoping for three points.

The Bundesliga encounter was interrupted for more than 25 minutes shortly before the end on December 14th after Drewes was hit by a lighter thrown from the Union block and had to leave the field. The Bochum team has lodged an objection against the score of the game (1:1).

The game continued and ended without Drewes after the incident and the interruption by referee Martin Petersen. Since Bochum had already exhausted its substitution quota, attacker Philipp Hofmann briefly went into goal. Both teams then simply passed the ball back and forth to end the encounter.

What can be expected at the trial?

The DFB has requested comments from everyone involved. In addition to Drewes, who according to the DFB will be on site, the sports court has called as witnesses, coaches Dieter Hecking and Felix Passlack (all VfL Bochum) as well as Berlin’s professional football director Horst Heldt and the referee Petersen. Hecking and Passlack will only be connected via video due to the upcoming Bundesliga weekend. The parties involved may name additional witnesses. The hearing on the DFB campus will be led by Stephan Oberholz, chairman of the sports court.

Why is Bochum’s keeper Drewes criticized?

The 31-year-old had to be helped off the field after the incident. According to Hecking, Drewes was dazed in the cabin and was later examined in hospital. A VfL spokesman later said that a concussion test was normal. The goalkeeper suffered from nausea, headaches and malaise.

Drewes is accused in fan circles of having arranged an acting performance with teammate Passlack. Bochum’s managing director Ilja Kaenzig said in the direction of the opponent: “There were ugly comments in which accusations of acting were made.” The question is also how hard Drewes, who fell to his knees after the spectator’s throw and then picked up the lighter, was really hit. “Whatever has been written and discussed about him in the last few days, I stand by it, I find it presumptuous,” Hecking said at the time.

What do the statutes say?

One reason for an objection listed in the DFB’s legal and procedural rules is the “weakening of one’s own team due to a circumstance that occurred during the game”. This must have been unavoidable and must not be related to the game and an injury sustained during it. If a game replay is detected, the game must generally be played again at the same location.

How does Bochum see its chances?

He assumes that the game will subsequently be counted for VfL “if you interpret the rules,” said managing director Ilja Kaenzig. From his point of view, the referee should have stopped the game. The Bochum team only went back onto the field in protest.

What about the lighter launcher?

Union has issued a three-year stadium ban against the alleged perpetrator. “We were able to identify the perpetrator. We handed him over to the police. A report has been filed,” said club spokesman Christian Arbeit. “And we have issued the longest possible nationwide stadium ban that a club can issue. Two advertisements are pending.”

How is referee Petersen’s actions viewed?

“The referee behaved correctly because he sent the teams into the locker room to give the security service the opportunity to control the situation,” said DFB referee instructor Lutz Wagner about Petersen’s decision to interrupt the game . “Once the decision was made to ensure the safety of everyone involved and proper execution, the game must continue.”