Hans-Joachim Watzke condemns abuse of referee Sascha Stegemann

Hans-Joachim Watzke has condemned the abuse directed at referee Sascha Stegemann since Borussia Dortmund’s Bundesliga clash against VfL Bochum.

Borussia Dortmund were held to a 1-1 draw by VfL Bochum on Friday evening, and referee Sascha Stegemann’s failure to award them a penalty in the second half quickly became the key talking point of the game.

Sebastian Kehl said after the game that the decision cost them two crucial points in the title race. Stegemann also admitted on Saturday that he made the wrong decision, adding that the incident should have resulted in a penalty for Borussia Dortmund. He also revealed that he and has family have since been subject to a lot of abuse and threats.

Hans-Joachim Watzke has now had his say on the matter, and has strongly condemned the abuse the referee has had to receive over the last two days. In a statement on the club’s website, the BVB CEO said:

"“We discussed our point of view with the referee right after the match, and he then assured us how sorry he was. That settles the matter for us.”“Despite the great disappointment, we cannot tolerate any kind of hostility, denigration or threats, be it in person or anonymously via social media channels.”"

Sascha Stegemann failed to award Borussia Dortmund what looked like a penalty after Karim Adeyemi was brought down inside the box during the second half of their Bundesliga clash against VfL Bochum on Friday.

The decision proved to be a costly one for the Black and Yellows, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by VfL Bochum and lost their lead in the Bundesliga standings as a result. Edin Terzic’s side now find themselves one point behind Bayern Munich with four games left to play in the Bundesliga season.