By Andrew Warshaw
October 29- Bayer Leverkusen’s controversial Bundesliga win over Hoffenheim will be allowed to stand despite Stefan Kiessling’s “phantom” goal that raised fresh debate over the need for goal-line technology.
Hoffenheim lost their appeal calling for a replay despite the ball flying wide of the post and going in through a hole in the net.
Referee Felix Brych awarded a goal after consulting his assistant, putting Leverkusen 2-0 ahead at the time.
A German football federation tribunal has ruled that Brych didn’t breach any rules in making his decision and let the result stand. “The decision may be unsatisfactory from a sporting point of view, but it corresponds to the rules and the laws,” judge Hans E. Lorenz said.
Hoffenheim has a week to decide whether it will appeal to an even higher tribunal. The club said it was “of course disappointed” by the ruling while Brych told the hearing he thought the ball was going wide, lost sight of it, and “then I saw the ball was in the goal.”
Kiessling said that he initially thought Hoffenheim goalkeeper Koen Casteels had scored an own goal. He told the tribunal that he saw the ball heading toward the side-netting, but his view was blocked. “I didn’t see the impact, but (did see) that the ball was then in the goal,” he said.