Handball curiosity: Dresden waives appeal

Despite a clear and curious breach of the rules, second-division handball club HC Elbflorenz Dresden has decided not to appeal against the scoring of the game at VfL Lübeck-Schwartau. The home side had scored the equalizer to make the final score 33:33 shortly before the end when a total of eight players from their team were on court. The referees and the court did not notice the infringement.

"However, we have not lodged an appeal against the scoring, as it is not an option for us to play a full replay. That would have been the consequence in this case," said Rico Göde, Sporting Director of HC Elbflorenz Dresden.

Criticism of the opponent's behavior

The breach of the rules was apparently not an oversight. The images from the streaming service Dyn show VfL coach David Röhrig sending right winger Nadav Cohen, who was already on the bench, back onto the pitch after he noticed the faux pas. The relegation-threatened Lübeckers managed to score the equalizer in a disallowed overcrowding and thus win the point.

"As a club, we stand for fairness and a competition based on clear rules. One of these basic rules states that a maximum of seven players of one team may be on the pitch at the same time," said Göde: "Unfortunately, this rule was disregarded by Lübeck in the last scene of the game - and it was precisely in this situation that the game-deciding equalizer was scored."