Hamburg's Leistner five games suspended for assaulting a fan

SV Hamburg defender Toni Leistner was suspended five games on Friday for assaulting a spectator that he had insulted him after a German Cup match earlier this week, as confirmed by the German Football Association (DFB).

The governing body of German soccer suspended Leistner for five games, who you only have to immediately fulfill three of them and that he will only be forced to miss the other two if within a year he has another incident with another fan. In addition, the DFB also imposed a fine of 8,000 euros.

The incident occurred after the defeat of Hamburg (4-1) against Leistner's former team, Dynamo Dresden. The defender ran into the stands after the game and pushed the fan who had insulted him. In doing so, Leistner violated the coronavirus protocol.

The DFB assured that the player exposed “himself and possibly third parties to the risk of infection with the coronavirus”, calling the fact “serious sports misconduct.” Hamburg and Leistner, who have apologized for their action, can appeal the ruling.

The president of the Sports Court of the DFB, Hans E. Lorenz, explained that the “provocation” of the fan has also been taken into account. “On the one hand, we had to take into account that the attack on a spectator is a particularly serious fault on the part of a player, but on the other hand, we also had to appreciate the seriousness of the previous provocation,” he concluded.