Ref soccer beer

A third-division German soccer game had to be suspended after a fan threw their beer in the face of a referee.

The act took place during halftime between FSV Zwickau vs. Rot-Weiss Essen. It was a massive game as Rot-Weiss Essen are five points clear of the relegation zone, and Zwickau are seven points inside the relegation zone.

With Zwickau up 1-o right before halftime, the center referee showed a red card to Zwickau’s Nils Butzen for taking down American Isaiah Young. Then in the ensuing free kick, the ref signaled a penalty for Rot-Weiss Essen.

Even with security around the referee crew, a Zwickau fan threw their beer from the stands and hit the face of the referee as they were going back into the tunnel.

The replay showed that the red card was harsh, as it sure looked like Young dived. But even if it was a bad call, throwing a beer at a referee is not right. For one thing, it’s simply disrespectful. Two, that ref might remember that the next time he refs a Zwicknau game. And three, that’s just a waste of beer and money.

Shockingly, this wasn’t the first instance of a beer hitting a referee this weekend. A Dutch league game between Groningen and NEC Nijmegen was suspended on Saturday after an assistant referee was hit by a beaker of beer thrown from the stands.

[Sport Im Osten/ESPN]

About Phillip Bupp

Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them.

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