Rostock fans escalate DFL investor dispute to the abyss

The Bundesliga 2 match between SC Paderborn and Hansa Rostock is interrupted twice. The fans of the Kogge express their displeasure with the DFL investor deal in a rowdy manner. They throw pyrotechnics onto the pitch. The match is about to be abandoned. The league is expecting a hot weekend.

Yet more unsightly actions in the 2nd Bundesliga: Hansa Rostock's match at SC Paderborn was overshadowed by riots in the stands, just like last week, and the match was about to be abandoned after several interruptions. Ultimately, Paderborn prevailed 3:0 (1:0) and things are not going well at all for the Kogge, even after the dismissal of coach Alois Schwartz.

In Paderborn, striker Adriano Grimaldi (25), Raphael Obermair (67) and Kai Klefisch (75) scored for the SCP, while Hansa keeper Markus Kolke saw red for an emergency brake after video evidence (63). The match, with interim coach Uwe Speidel sitting on the Hansa bench, once again became a marginal event.

Initially, the fan scenes of both clubs remained silent for twelve minutes in reaction to the decision to bring in investors from the German Football League (DFL), but then the Hansa supporters went overboard again. Flares flew onto the pitch as far as the center circle, accompanied by shouts of "Shit DFL!".

Referee Wolfgang Haslberger (St. Wolfgang) stopped the game immediately, sent the teams to the dressing room and only allowed play to resume after an eight-minute break. Last week, in Rostock's home game against Schalke 04 (0:2), the fans of both clubs had caused an interruption of more than 25 minutes due to riots in the stands.

When the ball started rolling again, Paderborn were immediately better. Klefisch took a deflected ball on the volley from the edge of the box and hit the crossbar (20'). A short time later, another rebound from a corner landed with Grimaldi, who slotted home from around seven meters.

The second half continued in unpleasant fashion, with referee Haslberger again interrupting the match due to pyrotechnics in the visitors' block (56'), this time for a whole 19 minutes. According to information from the TV channel Sky, the police consulted with the referees about stopping the match.

This did not follow, but the sporting decision in favor of Paderborn did. Rostock goalkeeper Markus Kolke fouled Ansah just outside the penalty area, Haslberger awarded a penalty and yellow card, but revised his decision after the VAR intervened and corrected it to a free kick plus sending off for Kolke (63'). Substitute Nils Körber let the subsequent free-kick bounce and Obermair dusted it off. The Kogge were knocked out, Klefisch scored the winner with a header from a corner.

At the general meeting on Monday, the DFL received a mandate from the professional clubs to enter into concrete negotiations with a strategic marketing partner. A financial investor is to pay up to one billion euros for a percentage share of the TV revenue. The contract is to have a maximum term of 20 years. This agreement has met with little approval from many fans.

That is why the fan scene announced a twelve-minute boycott in the stadiums this weekend. "We will collectively pool our resources in the fight against the greed and arbitrariness of the DFL. The managing directors of the league could still stop this disastrous investment project. We will keep a close eye on this path," it said in a statement.

Later that evening, the Bundesliga match between Borussia Mönchengladbach and Werder Bremen was also briefly interrupted. After twelve minutes, both fan camps ended their previously demonstrative silence with shouts of "Shit DFL" and the throwing of imitation coins onto the pitch. The match was interrupted for a few minutes to clear the pitch of coins.

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Despite the league's expectation of a turbulent weekend due to fan protests, the Soccer match between SC Paderborn and Rostock's Hansa was marked by another instance of fan unrest. The Rostock fans' discontent with the DFL investor dispute intensified during the game, leading to multiple incidents involving pyrotechnics and passionate protests. This escalation could have significant implications for the ongoing investor dispute within the German Football League (DFL).

Source: www.ntv.de