August 11 – A German Cup first-round tie between third division VfL Osnabruck and RB Leipzig was abandoned in the 71st minute on Monday after the referee was struck by a lighter thrown from a section of the crowd.
Osnabruck were leading their second-tier opponents 1-0 at the time but the match had to be halted when referee Martin Petersen was struck on the head and taken to hospital.
Club president Hermann Queckenstedt was distraught by what happened. “This is a bitter lesson. I apologise on behalf of Vfl Osnabruck to referee Petersen,” he said over the stadium PA system, before asking fans to leave calmly.
The German FA has already begun an investigation, with the likelihood that Osnabruck will be thrown out of the tournament since it is believed that the lighter was thrown from a section of the stadium containing home fans.
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