Disciplinary measures by the German Football Association often cause controversy, especially when it comes to sanctions due to the behavior of fans.
However, one recent penalty from the second division has attracted attention for its strangeness.
At the center of the case is Dynamo Dresden, a club from Saxony that has already paid more than 300,000 euros in fines this season, mostly for fan-related incidents.
And while the decision on the penalty for rioting in the match against Hertha BSC is still awaited, the new sanction of 10,000 euros caused a surprise in the public. The reason for the punishment was, apparently, an insignificant detail.
Namely, Dynamo was fined for being late to the match against Arminia Bielefeld played on February 1. It is a delay of exactly 50 seconds.
According to the German media, in the first and second Bundesliga, each segment of the organization of the match is precisely defined. There is a detailed plan that determines all the steps before the meeting begins.
Those rules clearly stipulate when the players leave the locker room, how long the equipment check lasts and how it is done. On that occasion, the judges check whether the colors, materials and equipment are in accordance with the rules.
Three minutes are planned for this process, including possible corrections. This is exactly where the error occurred.
“The check of the Dresden team’s equipment was not completed at the scheduled time, but with a delay of one minute,” the association’s decision states.
Because of this, the start of the match was delayed by a total of 80 seconds. Since the opposing team was also delayed by an additional 30 seconds, the final delay attributed to Dresden was 50 seconds.
The club tried to challenge this decision, but the appeal was rejected, so the penalty remains in effect.
(Vijesti.ba)
