German Cup: Wolfsburg eliminated after making six substitutions against Münster

The German Football Association has eliminated Wolfsburg from the German Cup after the Bundesliga side made six substitutions. Wolfsburg beat Preussen Münster 3-1 but the match has been awarded to the fourth tier club.

The German Football Association (DFB) has overturned Wolfsburg's 3-1 win over Preussen Münster in the first round of the German Cup and awarded the tie to the fourth division side after Wolfsburg coach Mark van Bommel made an illegal sixth substitution.

In his first competitive game in charge, van Bommel made three substitutions in regular time and then another three in extra time as the Bundesliga side won 3-1.

The result has now been overturned and Münster awarded a 2-0 win after successfully appealing. The Regional League West side will now go into the hat for the second-round draw.

'A careless and avoidable error'

"The clubs are responsible for informing themselves of the rules regarding substitutions and acting accordingly," said a statement from the DFB. "VfL Wolfsburg contravened these rules and thus committed a careless and avoidable error by making a sixth substitution."

In order to alleviate the effects of the pandemic, teams are currently allowed to make five substitutions per game. Unlike in the recent European Championships, however, DFB regulations do not permit an additional sixth change should a match go to extra-time.

Wolfsburg stated that Van Bommel and other members of the coaching staff had repeatedly asked the fourth official if a sixth substitute was possible.

They claim the referee Christian Dingert did not object to the additional substitution, and failed to spot the irregularity until putting together his postmatch report.

"Whether the fourth official falsely advised club officials during the substitution, remains open," the DFB statement continued. "Even if incorrect information was provided, the fundamental error still lies with the club."

Münster: 'No winners or losers'

Following the decision, Preussen Münster's sporting director Peter Niemayer said: "We are obviously delighted that the DFB has found in our favor. Nevertheless, we don't want to speak of winners and losers.

"A game-changing error was made in an unusual situation which has now been corrected. Now, we're just pleased for our team, which went beyond its limits in the first round, and for our fans and the entire club, who can now look forward to another big day in our Preussenstadion.

Wo l f s b u r g c o n s i d e re d 'reading course' for staff members

Wolfsburg are yet to respond to the decision but, in a statement last week, sporting director Jörg Schmadtke called the error "downright annoying" but said it could no longer be reversed.

"We shall analyze the issue internally and ensure that something like this doesn't happen again in future," said the 57year-old, insisting that there wouldn't be any disciplinary measures. "Despite our annoyance and frustration, sometimes it's better to just keep the ball on the ground. After briefly considering enrolling all those involved on a 'how to read properly' course at university, we have ultimately decided not to."

Precedent

In August 2004, Wolfsburg committed a similar error after playing an illegible player in a first-round tie against FC Cologne's reserves.

New signing Marian Hristov had been sent off in the 2003 cup final while playing for his former club Kaiserslautern and, since Kaiserslautern were knocked out in the first round in 2003/04, the Bulgarian's ban was still valid in 2004/05. Consequently, despite beating Cologne 3-0, Wolfsburg were eliminated.

Mark van Bommel's Bundesliga debut got off to a better start, with his side beating newly-promoted Bochum 1-0 at the weekend.

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Wolfsburg coach Mark van Bommel watches on during the cup game against Preussen Münster