Chemie Leipzig announces appeal against NOFV ruling

Regional league soccer club Chemie Leipzig will not accept the ban imposed on player Julian Weigel by the sports court of the North-East German Football Association (NOFV) and will appeal the decision. Weigel had physically assaulted home supporters after the goalless draw at Hallescher FC on 12 September and was banned for five matches for his behavior.

"The NOFV is sending a fatal signal with this scandalous verdict and effectively declaring players fair game," read a Leipzig press release. The club will lodge an appeal as soon as the verdict is available in writing.

The NOFV sports court justified the drastic punishment by stating that Weigel had taken a run-up of several meters to stop the HFC supporters. As a result, the player had contributed to the altercation, said NOFV judge Steffen Tänzer in his statement on Tuesday evening. Tänzer was in court the following day and was initially unavailable for comment.

Leipzig classify verdict as disproportionate and unworldly

Chemie, on the other hand, argue that both Weigel and Valon Aliji, who was given a pre-match ban, acted in self-defense against the storming and partially masked supporters. "In a highly emotional, extremely confusing situation in which our team was unprotected on the pitch by police and stewards, Julian Weigel rightly recognized the threat to his teammate from an opposing supporter," it said.

The Leipzig team classify the verdict "as disproportionate and unworldly and the verbal justification as highly questionable" and see the perpetrator-victim role as reversed: "In order to protect his teammate, he felt compelled to act quickly. He brought the attacker down by pushing him with both hands."

Aliji eligible to play again

Weigel, who was shown the red card for an emergency brake in the following match against Rot-Weiß Erfurt (0:1), would have to serve a five-match ban after the penalty for the sending-off, which has not yet been imposed. His teammate Aliji was given a two-match ban, which he has already served due to his previous penalty in the past two games and is now eligible to play again.