After punching: Game rating, point deduction and 16 game suspension

Created: 09/14/2022, 12:29 p.m

By: Johannes Goetze

A referee puts the red card back in his pocket.

At a football game in the district league A in Fulda, the referee couldn't pull out the red card as quickly as he intended.

© picture alliance/dpa/Symbolbild

The verdict in the case of the abandonment of the A-League soccer match between Frischauf Fulda and RSV Petersberg II has been pronounced.

Players from both teams conceded high game suspensions, the game was rated and a point deduction pronounced.

What happened?

According to the referee, on August 28, in the final minute, a Petersberg player fouled an opponent on the outside line with a scissor blow from behind.

As a result, the freshman jumped up and knocked his opponent down with a blow to the temple area.

The Petersberger then had to be treated, the game was not continued when the score was 1-0 for Frischauf.

However, the young referee was not responsible for the demolition, rather the RSV coach decided not to continue playing.

The referee also stated in his special report that he was willing to show both players the red card but didn't get around to it.

Now the newly founded HFV sports court had to deal with this case.

Fist sentenced in football game

It did so in the premises of the State Sports Association in Frankfurt.

With the result: The game is rated 3-0 for Frischauf, and RSV Petersberg II receives a three-point deduction for causing the game to be abandoned, fines for the club and coach and has to bear four-fifths of the legal costs.

The Petersberg player was also banned for eight games for his rabid entry, which was rated as assault. 

Frischauf Fulda got off lightly: apart from the player's blow, the club had nothing to blame.

The culprit was also punished with eight games for his assault, and the club received a fifth of the legal costs.

There were two reasons why the Frischauf player got off relatively lightly: On the one hand, he had apologized to the Petersberg player on the evening of the game and was also very insightful during the hearing.

On the other hand, his punch is said to have been preceded by an insult, perhaps even of racist origin.

Accordingly, it was an emotional act that could not be glossed over. The insult could neither be assigned to a person nor proven as a whole.

The player cannot show more remorse.

Benjamin Moller

For Benjamin Möller, chairman of Frischauf, the behavior of his player afterwards was particularly exemplary: "His shot cannot be excused.

No question.

But the boy knew from the moment he struck that something had gone terribly wrong.

He has apologized multiple times.

He had tears in his eyes during the hearing.

He even covers our share of the cost of the process.

Something like that is unique, I think.

Much more remorse is not possible.” And accordingly, the club gives the offender a second chance after serving the sentence.

The RSV, on the other hand, wants to let the verdict sink in first, as Mathias Lissek explains.

Lissek was not present at the game but represented the club in court.

The Fulda district sports court passed the case on to the HFV sports court because it had aroused public interest on the one hand and there were racist insults on the other.

The chair was Dr.

Dietrich Claus Becker, Vice President of the Giessen District Court.

Five witnesses were heard and negotiated for almost four hours.