Fri Jan 10 13:13:02 UTC 2025: ## Union Berlin Appeals 2-0 Forfeit to Bochum After Lighter Incident
**Berlin, Germany** – Union Berlin has appealed a German Football Association (DFB) sports court ruling that awarded their Bundesliga rivals Bochum a 2-0 victory. The decision stems from a December 14th match where a Bochum goalkeeper was struck by a cigarette lighter thrown from the Union Berlin crowd.
The original match ended in a 1-1 draw. However, after Bochum goalkeeper Patrick Drewes was injured in added time, the referee suspended play. While the game resumed after a delay, Bochum refused to continue playing at full strength. The DFB sports court deemed Union Berlin responsible for “weakening” the Bochum team, citing the actions of their supporter and the subsequent agreement between the two teams not to actively pursue a win in the remaining minutes. This agreement, the court stated, violated the principles of sporting competition.
Union Berlin president Dirk Zingler strongly criticized the decision. He argued that the incident was overblown by Bochum and that the referee should have been the sole arbiter of whether to abandon or continue the game. Zingler questioned the precedent set, suggesting it opens the door to manipulation and unfair advantage. He stated, “If the beneficiary party can declare themselves as weakened, we no longer need impartial referees and the door is open to fraud or even dirty tricks.” Union Berlin maintains that the “unsportsmanlike scandal” occurred not in the stands, but on the pitch and in the court’s decision itself. The appeal is now pending.
First Piper 