Wolfsburg were disqualified from the DFB-Pokal for making too many substitutions in their first-round match.
The Wolves, who managed to secure a top-four finish in the Bundesliga last season, initially thought they’d made it past a scare against fourth-tier side Preußen Münster thanks to a 3-1 win in extra time. The win would’ve set them up for a second round tie in the competition but instead, the underdogs have now been awarded a 2-0 win after Wolfsburg used six substitutes when the noted maximum in the competition was five.
A costly mistake
Münster will now progress and attempt to keep their dream alive, whereas Wolfsburg will be left to lick their wounds and wonder what could’ve been.
“The clubs themselves are responsible for substitutions. One of their basic duties is to find out about substitution options and to act accordingly,” Stephan Oberholz, deputy chairman of the sports court said. “Wolfsburg violated this duty and thus carelessly and avoidably committed the central error by making the illegal sixth substitution.”
The game marked the debut of Mark van Bommel as the club’s manager and while they did go on to also beat Bochum in their Bundesliga opener, one has to wonder what this is going to do for the morale of the team with regards to the embarrassment this will cause them.
They’ll attempt to pick themselves up and dust themselves off in time for a trip to play Hertha Berlin this Saturday.
Featured image credit: Getty
