Referee: "Never heard such a loud bang"
Referee Felix Brych says he has "never" experienced an incident like the firecracker explosion at FC Augsburg's Bundesliga match against TSG Hoffenheim. "I've never heard such a loud bang in a soccer stadium," said the referee, who had to interrupt the match for a good five minutes. According to initial findings, there were several minor injuries.
"I made it clear that if something like that happens again, we have to leave the pitch," said Brych about the minutes after the incident and referred to the German Football Association's so-called three-stage plan, which provides for the match to be abandoned as a final reaction. As a first step, Brych had gathered the players in the center circle for a discussion. The firework had been thrown from the Hoffenheim fan block and exploded loudly near the corner flag.
"I was already thinking about what would happen to the people nearby who had to endure that bang," said the 48-year-old, who was praised for his behavior by the club officials after the 1-1 draw. "Of course, if it had been worse, we would have had to take other measures," said Brych.
The decision to play on was made "in conjunction with all those involved". As a result, he had to be particularly attentive. "How do the players react, does it get hectic? Are they so affected that they can no longer play properly?" said Brych. "Of course, I also looked to see what was happening in the stands."
Despite the incident involving a firework during the Bundesliga match between FC Augsburg and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, the referee, Felix Brych, decided to continue the game after assessing the situation. The explosive device was reportedly thrown from the Hoffenheim fan block.
Source: www.dpa.com
