Third division
After abandoning the game due to racism: Duisburg against Osnabrück is repeated
In the interrupted game against Duisburg, Osnabrück’s Aaron Opoku (r) speaks to referee Nicolas Winter after racist insults from the audience
© Revierfoto / DPA
On December 19, the third division game between Duisburg and Osnabrück was canceled because of racist insults against VfL player Aaron Opoku. Now the DFB sports court decided that the game will be repeated.
After the game of the 3rd soccer league between MSV Duisburg and VfL Osnabrück was canceled on Sunday due to a racist incident, the game is to be repeated. That was decided on Thursday by the sports court of the German Football Association (DFB).
Referee Nicolas Winter had initially interrupted the game after, according to the guests, VfL professional Aaron Opoku had been insulted by the audience. Winter described the scene as follows: “There was a corner kick for VfL Osnabrück, and when the kicker wanted to run to the corner kick, monkeys were called from the stands. He noticed that immediately, and so did the assistant. Both of them described the process to me . ” That is something “where we are very sensitive and also react directly,” said the referee. “I tried to take care of him directly and saw how shocked he was.” The VfL Osnabrück was then unable to continue playing. The game was then canceled entirely.
DFB takes a stand against racism with a verdict
The repetition of the game corresponds to the requests of the clubs involved, so the Notice from the DFB sports court. The DFB control committee had previously spoken out in favor of repeating the game.
Stephan Oberholz, the deputy chairman of the DFB Sports Court, said of the grounds for the verdict: “The incident is a non-standardized special case which, regardless of any fault of the clubs involved, justifies a replay of the game in the opinion of the Sports Court. We think emotionally and morally VfL Osnabrück’s decision not to continue the game is understandable. We also expressly support the intention to set an example against racism. However, it must remain clear that the referee is fundamentally entitled to abandon the game. We expressly point out point out that in future, comparable cases of a game being abandoned, the intensity of the crime, the perpetrator profile, the point in time and the score must always be looked at more closely in relation to the game rating. “
Racist incidents on the pitch – the ugly side of football
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The sports court will decide at a later point in time about possible sanctions against MSV Duisburg because of the racist insults after the charges are brought by the DFB control committee.
Duisburg game: Police are investigating racist insults
Both clubs welcomed the decision with a joint message. “But we also hope that such an abandonment will be a one-off,” said Duisburg President Ingo Wald. VfL President Holger Elixmann emphasized that both clubs had “set a clear signal against racism and for humanity through their behavior, the DFB has joined in the sense of football with the judgment”.
The investigations into the racist insults are ongoing. “The accused has made a statement. In addition, videos are being viewed and other witnesses are being interviewed,” said a police spokeswoman for the German press agency on Monday. A 55 year old man is said to have racially insulted. The police want to check whether there were also monkey noises – as indicated by the referee. She immediately filed a complaint. Insult can result in a fine or imprisonment for up to a year.
However, according to the police, there are testimonies that “another player may have been meant”. Accordingly, not Aaron Opoku, but VfL player Florian Kleinhansl would have been the target of the abuse.