Justin Butler of Energie Cottbus was the victim of racist abuse during the match against 1860 Munich. FCE coach Claus-Dieter Wollitz proposed that the match be abandoned.

After the final whistle of 1860 Munich’s 3-0 home win over Energie Cottbus at Grünwalder Straße, the sport took a back seat. The victory was overshadowed by derogatory gestures, flying beer cups, and monkey noises directed by an 1860 fan at Justin Butler of Energie Cottbus, who was visibly shaken by the incident.

“The 1860 Munich board has apologized for this person,” Claus-Dieter Wollitz told MagentaSport about the scenes following the final whistle. “They don’t need to apologize for that, but I still find it very nice,” Wollitz said, praising the gesture. “That’s someone who doesn’t belong here. It’s not 1860’s fault, it’s nobody’s fault. Nobody needs that, nobody wants that.”

There wasn’t much time left to play, and 1860 held a comfortable 2-0 lead. Therefore, Wollitz suggested to the referee, Konrad Oldhafer, that the game be called off. He would have accepted the loss. Wollitz: “I told the referee he could call off the game to send a message.”

The goal: “Just to get the point across so everyone stops and thinks. Despite all the emotion. Despite how important it is.” The 60-year-old was clear: “Just to send a message. We always talk, but no one acts. That’s sad for the players, but also sad for 1860 Munich and for everyone else.” There’s a lack of resolve, Wollitz laments. “This happens over and over again. No matter who, no matter where, no matter which stadium—none of us have the resolve we should have to call off the game.”

But the referee did not stop the game. Wollitz also disagreed with the referee’s penalty decision before the 1-0 goal (40th minute), which he said turned the game on its head. His assessment: “The game got weird with that penalty. Up until then, Energie Cottbus was the better team.”

He sarcastically commented on the entirely justified penalty kick, saying, “It’s always a penalty against Energie Cottbus,” and launched into a broader critique: “Where is the VAR? Where is it? Then we wouldn’t have these discussions.”