The incidents caused a stir in regional junior football: A Kirchheimer SC U17 player is said to have choked the referee in the district league game at TSV Murnau after the referee had stopped the game after the KSC coach had been sent off. In the meantime, the youth sports court of Upper Bavaria has dealt with the matter and passed a verdict. Accordingly, the allegations against the Kirchheim player in question could apparently be completely refuted, he is now eligible to play again. The game is repeated, KSC coach Hüseyin Sözer receives a fine of 75 euros.
At the Kirchheimer Sport-Club, they welcome the decision of the sports court: “We are very happy, but to be honest we didn’t expect any other verdict,” says Robert Eckerl, head of the KSC talent training center. However, the club was very lucky that a father had filmed the game – and thus also the incidents after the game was abandoned – with a video camera.
These recordings then ensured that the statements made by referee Dominik Otte could be put into perspective considerably. The referee from Oberammergau noted in his report that he sent KSC coach Sözer off the field for complaining and finally called off the game because he couldn’t name a manager who could have coached the youngsters for the rest of the season. Then there were wild hunting scenes, during which he was choked by a Kirchheimer kicker. Despite considerable anxiety, Otte identified this player, punished him with a red card and then drove to a hospital, where a bruised neck soft tissue was diagnosed. Klemens Wind, referee chairman of the Weilheim group, supported this version, which was widely disseminated and unqualified by statements by Kirchheim in a local newspaper and resulted in the Turkish-born Kirchheim coach being massively racially insulted on the Internet.
The KSC youngsters want to “take it easy” on the replay. There must be no new escalation
The fact that the allegations could not be proven in any way in court makes the KSC representatives satisfied: “We were able to prove that the allegations were totally exaggerated,” says Robert Eckerl. The injuries to the referee’s neck were said to have been caused by the tall referee colliding with a player’s head during pack formation after the demolition.
Those responsible in Kirchheim now want to consider how to react to the incidents. According to Eckerl, it is likely that civil law action will not be taken. And then full concentration applies to the replay against Murnau, which has not yet been scheduled, after all KSC is only two points behind leaders and local rivals Heimstetten in the table. “We want to take it easy, there should be no new escalation here,” says Eckerl, who emphasizes that there are no problems between the two clubs. “And I’m assuming that we’ll get another referee.”