• Fortuna's clash with Hertha Berlin was held up for 30 minutes
• Fans invaded pitch and threw flares as Hertha were relegated
The German football association has launched an investigation into the crowd trouble-marred second leg of the relegation playoff between Bundesliga's Hertha Berlin and Fortuna Düsseldorf on Tuesday.
The 2-2 draw, that saw second division Fortuna win promotion with a 4-3 aggregate victory while Hertha dropped into the second division, was interrupted twice for a total of about 30 minutes by a pitch invasion and flares.
"Our committee has already launched an investigation," the DFB said in a statement. "We saw the events in this game with consternation and worry.
"The DFB and the league agree that such irresponsible behaviour that threatens the health of many peaceful fans cannot be tolerated and must be punished. The sports court … must find the appropriate punishment."
Hertha, whose players had initially hesitated to return to the pitch after a 20-minute break with a minute left in stoppage time, have said they are considering filing an appeal.
The game was stopped for the first time on the hour after Fortuna scored to take a 2-1 lead, leaving Hertha in need of two goals. Dozens of lit flares from both groups of fans landed on the pitch, prompting the referee Wolfgang Stark to stop play.
The game was interrupted again for more than 20 minutes deep into stoppage time after hundreds of Fortuna fans poured on to the pitch thinking the final whistle had been blown. Both teams were forced into the changing rooms, and it was only on the insistence of Stark that Hertha returned to the pitch to play the remaining 90 seconds of stoppage time. Read More
انسخ الكود التالى و ضعه فى موقعك او مدونتك.
