During the match against Rot-Weiss Essen, Viktoria Cologne’s goalkeeping coach lost his temper. That has now led to consequences.
Referee Felix Weller had signaled six minutes of stoppage time in the Third Division match between Viktoria Cologne and Rot-Weiss Essen (1:2) last Sunday. TV footage shows that he blew his whistle too early—two seconds too early, to be exact.
Kevin Rauhut apparently noticed this as well. Shortly after the premature final whistle, the Cologne goalkeeper coach rushed toward the referee, complained loudly, and was subsequently shown a red card. The German Football Association (DFB) has now suspended the 36-year-old for one game for this incident.
Rauhut did, however, have a valid point, as former referee Babak Rafati explained to the website liga3-online.de.
“According to the rules, stoppage time may be extended but not shortened,” he said, adding: “This incident not only violates the rules—even if it was only two seconds—but is also very unfortunate, since Cologne had possession and was trailing. In this case, it would have made sense to wait at least those 2 seconds and then blow the whistle. Normally, in practice, you even let the final attack play out, blow the whistle only afterward, and don’t keep track of the time down to the second. Thus, blowing the whistle too early was an incorrect decision.”
Rafati also noted, however, that the referee’s subsequent reaction was entirely appropriate: “Nevertheless, the goalkeeper coach is not allowed to run onto the field in this manner and protest to the referee, so the red card was justified under the rules.”
The consequence for Rauhut? He is barred from entering the stadium’s inner area, the locker rooms, the players’ tunnel, or the hallway leading to the locker rooms during Viktoria Cologne’s upcoming away game against Hansa Rostock (Saturday, April 4). This suspension begins half an hour before kickoff and ends half an hour after the final whistle. During this time, he may not make contact with the team, either directly or indirectly.
