Union appeal DFB ruling: "A precedent that opens the door to cheating and fraud." | OneFootball

Very much as expected, 1. FC Union Berlin have appealed a controversial ruling from the German FA issued Thursday afternoon that saw them forfeit a match against VfL Bochum last month due to a flare-throwing incident. The capital city's Köpenick side issued a long statement penned by club President Dirk Zingler himself in conjunction with the appeal.

“It is unfortunate enough that people repeatedly throw objects on stages, in rooms, or on the playing surface at concerts or sporting events," Zingler's statement begins. "Unfortunately, no organizer can prevent this. It is all the more important to identify these people, remove them from the event and impose the highest possible penalty on them to deter such acts."

"It is nevertheless a worse occurrence when other parties seek to take advantage of events no organizer can prevent," the statement continues. "When uninvolved third parties [clearly other top flight clubs like Kiel and Heidenheim who are also fighting against the drop] are further disadvantaged by such actions, we arrive at the case of what we see here."

"The actual unsportsmanlike conduct took place after proceedings on the pitch concluded," Zingler went on. "Then, points were awarded in court. We will therefore exhaust all legal means at our disposal to appeal today's verdict. This [ruling] does enormous harm and will not prevent the throwing of projectiles."

"In contrast," Zingler continued, "We run the risk of setting a precedent that sporting performance will not determine the outcome of the game. Insults and pyro smoke could also influence results."

"The question of whether the game is stopped or continued due to disadvantage must always be the sole decision of the referee," Zingler concluded, "If the affected party can declare its own disadvantage, we no longer need impartial referees and the door is open to fraud or even cheating."