A third-level football match in Germany took a very unexpected turn on Sunday, when a referee had beer thrown in his face by an irate fan at half-time. According to the Associated Press, Zwickau – a team facing relegation – were taking on Rot-Weiss Essen when referee Nicolas Winter had a cup of beer thrown in his face by an annoyed fan.
After the incident, the match was abandoned. It is still unclear on Monday morning when and if the game will resume.
The fan was reportedly frustrated by Winter’s decision to send a Zwickau player off before the break and give Rot-Weiss Essen a penalty. As Winter walked off the field, the fan splashed a mug of beer right in his face.
Winter had given Zwickau defender Nils Butzen a red card for knocking out striker Isaiah Young. The referee followed that decision by awarding a penalty for a handball from the resulting free kick.
As a result of the handball call, Rot-Weiss Essen’s Simon Engelmann eventually scored on the penalty kick to tie the game at 1–1 just before half-time. Then the Zwickau fan decided to express his grievances towards Winter.
The match officials waited before leaving the field. Magenta Sport TV showed the fan throwing the beer at Winter’s face.