A masked fan pulled out a video assistant referee (VAR) monitor during a German second-tier game on Sunday as the referee went to the stadium screen to confirm a penalty kick call.
The incident occurred near the end of the first half of Prussia Munster’s 2-1 loss to Hertha Berlin in the second leg of the Bundesliga.
VAR intervened and referee Felix Bickel was asked to review the incident on the pitch monitor, only to find the screen blank.
“In the active fan area, a masked spectator illegally entered the stadium and unplugged technical equipment,” Munster of Prussia said in a statement., external
With Bickel unable to make the call, the decision was left to Cologne’s VAR referee Katrin Rafalski, who ruled it was a foul and Bickel was awarded a penalty kick and Hertha scored.
“Prussia Munster regrets this incident and will do its best to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice,” the club added.
“Immediate action has also been taken to prevent similar incidents in the future. Initial investigations have shown that this was a planned action. A corresponding banner was displayed in the home section immediately after the technical malfunction.”
German media reported that a banner saying ‘Pull the plug on VAR’ was displayed.
