Borussia Dortmund II officially promoted to the 3. Liga after RW Essen’s unsuccessful appeal

Borussia Dortmund II will play in the third division of German football next season after the appeal from RW Essen and SV Bergisch Gladbach against them proved to be unsuccessful.

Borussia Dortmund II had already clinched promotion on the pitch on Saturday by finishing the season at the top of the Regionalliga West standings. The young Black and Yellows defeated Wuppertaler SV 2-1 on the final day of the season to earn promotion to the 3. Liga.

But second placed RW Essen and relegated SV Bergisch Gladbach had lodged an appeal, claiming that Borussia Dortmund II had more than 16 available players in their ranks and thus could have fielded a squad for the three games that were postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak at the club last month. The two teams felt that BVB II had gained an unfair advantage and wanted the results of those three games to be chalked off.

Borussia Dortmund insisted that they had followed all the rules and procedures, and now the decision has officially been made in their favour. According to Ruhr Nachrichten, the hearing on Wednesday evening lasted for almost three hours. In the end, RW Essen even withdrew their objection. SV Bergisch Gladbach still have the option of filing an appeal, as they haven’t withdrawn their objection yet. However, the chances of any potential appeal being successful are highly unlikely.

After an incredible campaign in the Regionalliga West that saw them suffer just one defeat, Enrico Maaßen’s side can now look ahead to playing in the third division of German football next season. The new 3. Liga season is scheduled to get underway on 23 July, 2021. And it will no doubt be a very exciting challenge for the BVB U-23s.