When referee Felix Bickel was called to consult the video control screen at the edge of the pitch to watch an action that could give rise to a penalty at the end of the first half, he found himself faced with a black screen. A supporter physically intervened to block the operation of the system.
Sabotage in Bundesliga 2
The incident occurred when Bickel wanted to review a foul by Niko Koulis (Münster) on Michael Cuisance (Hertha) on the video control screen, but the latter remained black. Bickel waited about a minute for the screen to come back on, but ultimately had to defer to video assistant referee Katrin Rafalski. Bickel was ordered to award Hertha Berlin a penalty despite being unable to see the screen. Fabian Reese converted the penalty, giving Hertha the advantage (1-0) at halftime. These bizarre scenes have undoubtedly raised serious questions about stadium safety and the escalating protests against modern refereeing in Germany.
Official press release from Münster
Following their 2-1 home defeat, Münster quickly reacted to the security breach which sowed confusion within the refereeing team. In an official statement, the club confirmed the deliberate nature of the act: “A masked spectator, from the active supporters’ stand, illegally entered the field and unplugged the technical equipment. Münster regrets this incident and will do everything possible to identify and bring the perpetrator(s) to justice.”
The club also suggested that this disruption was not an isolated act of madness, but a deliberate protest against the introduction of VAR. He added: “Immediate measures have been taken to prevent such incidents from happening again. Initial findings indicate that this was a premeditated action: a banner to this effect was displayed in the local supporters’ stand shortly after the technical malfunction. »
The club’s “planned action” came to fruition when local media reported the display of a banner in the home fans’ stand shortly after the screen was turned off. The message on the banner read: “Stop VAR”, thus revealing the supporter’s intentions to all spectators in the stadium. The incident marks a significant escalation of ongoing tensions between traditional German fans and the growing use of technology in football.
