Erzgebirge Aue’s appeal to the DFB-Bundesgericht was successful. Clemens Fandrich’s ban imposed by the Sports Court was greatly reduced from seven months to seven championship games.
The 30-year-old had been accused of spitting at assistant referee Roman Potemkin during the second division match against FC Ingolstadt on 22 October. Fandrich’s lawyer was unable to prevail with his motion for acquittal.
Oskar Riedmeyer, who as deputy chairman of the DFB Federal Court chaired the hearing in Frankfurt’s Hermann-Neuberger-Haus on Thursday, says of the verdict: “We are convinced that Clemens Fandrich yelled at the assistant referee Roman Potemkin so vehemently at close range that saliva also hit the assistant referee in the face. However, final doubts remained as to whether he actually wanted to spit in Mr Potemkin’s face on purpose.”
Fandrich was initially suspended for seven months by the DFB Sports Court on 4 November for assaulting the assistant referee The panel had no doubt about Potemkin’s account, who testified that Fandrich had spat on his right eye