Union Berlin appealed the decision to award Bochum last December after their goalkeeper was hit with a lighter.

Union Berlin are appealing a decision by the German Football Association’s sports court that gave Bochum a 2-0 win after the Bochum goalkeeper was struck by a lighter during a Bundesliga match in December.

“It’s bad enough that people are constantly throwing objects onto stages, indoor areas or onto pitches at concerts or sporting events. Unfortunately, there’s nothing any event organizer can do to stop this from happening,” union president De Dirk Zingler said Thursday night.

Previously, the sports court ruled that Bochum defeated the Union team instead of the 1-1 draw between the two teams on December 14.

Towards the end of the game, Bochum goalkeeper Patrick Drews was hit by an object thrown by the crowd in stoppage time. After Drews sat down for treatment, referee Martin Peterson paused the game and led both teams off the field.

Bochum did not want a restart, but play resumed almost half an hour later, with striker Philipp Hofmann replacing Drews with three minutes remaining. Both teams agreed not to score a try – an issue before the courts.

“Such agreements violate the fundamental principles of sporting competition,” said court president Stephan Oberholz. Oberholz added that the league was responsible for “the weakening of Bochum” because the item was thrown by league supporters.

Singler sees things differently. “This unsportsmanlike scandal happened today on the pitch and in the courts,” Singler said, suggesting Bochum’s coverage of the incident went beyond what was reasonable.

“Whether one side is compromised or diminished, whether the game is abandoned or continued, must be at the discretion of the referee,” Singler said.

“If the benefited party can claim to be undercut, we eliminate the need for impartial referees and open the door to fraud and even dirty tricks. The weaker party can never prove the contrary.”