Hohkeppel II secures championship after court clear text!

Hohkeppel II secures championship after court clear text!

Yesterday, the Association Sports Court made a groundbreaking ruling on an exciting sporting event in the district league: The game between Eintracht Hohkeppel II and Jan Wellem, which ended in a 3-3 draw on March 30, 2023, has now received a final decision. This judgment overturns the first instance judgment of the district sports court and confirms the rating of the game. Eintracht Hohkeppel II remains champions of season 1 and is assured of promotion to the state league. As Oberberg Aktuell reports, the publication of the judgment was delayed due to a request for bias from Jan Wellem, which was ultimately rejected.

The game was characterized by tension, and the decision of the Association Sports Court now ensures that Hohkeppel II is at the top of the table with 65 points, closely followed by Jan Wellem and Blau-Weiß Köln, who each have 64 points. Jan Wellem's objection related, among other things, to the age group status of the player Arlind Mimini, who was classified as a U23 player. An application at the next FVM association meeting that would like to modify the reference to “of the year” in paragraph 11 of the WDFV rules of play could provide clarity here.

Protection for referees

In the world of football, the topic of refereeing is also very important. At the upcoming WDFV conference entitled “Whistles in the Shitstorm” everything will revolve around protecting referees against digital hostility. Especially in times of hate speech online, it is important to show legal and practical options for how those affected can protect themselves. This event, which is organized in collaboration with the Cybercrime Central and Contact Point and the #sicherimdienst initiative, not only offers best practice examples, but also an interactive exchange between experts from sport and the judiciary. Registration is required due to limited spaces. The aim of this specialist conference is to send a strong signal against digital hate speech and to ensure the protection of referees, as wdfv.de emphasizes.

Age discrimination in refereeing

A controversial issue that is not unimportant in this context is age discrimination among referees. A recent ruling by the Frankfurt am Main Regional Court shows that a referee is entitled to compensation if he is no longer included in the DFB's list of referees due to an arbitrary age limit. Specifically, the decision concerns a former Bundesliga referee who was active since 2004 until he was retired in the 2021/2022 season due to this age limit. The court decided that the age limit of 47 years was not justified and awarded the arbitrator compensation of 48,500 euros, although his request for loss of earnings was not granted because he could not prove that he would have been taken into account without this limit. However, the judgment is not yet final and can be appealed, as Menzel Law Firm ​​reports.

At a time when both sporting and social challenges are the order of the day, it remains to be seen how these issues will develop and what steps the associations will take to protect both sport and the players. The approach in the Hohkeppel II case shows that sporting fairness is taken seriously, while at the same time the protection of referees and the fight against discrimination must be given high priority.