Neidhart Zürnt: Referee decisions bring Kickers into trouble!

Neidhart Zürnt: Referee decisions bring Kickers into trouble!

The Kickers Offenbach achieved an important victory on April 6, 2025. In the derby against Eintracht Frankfurt II, the team won 1-0. This game was shaped by emotions and combative commitment and, despite the drama, offered less beautiful game than a clear announcement after the previous 1: 4 defeat against Kassel. After the game, coach Christian Neidhart emphasized that the team had succeeded in showing a "correct answer".

The decision was made in added time by a goal by Dimitrij Nazarov in the 90th+3 minute. The referee's performance was sharply criticized over the entire season. Neidhart expressed that several decisions were unjustified, including a non -recognized goal from Nazarov in the 52nd minute. The Kickers also called for two penalty to be denied.

referee criticism

Neidhart spoke of an accumulation of wrong decisions against his team and questioned the referees's intention to keep the kickers in the league, which would also benefit the association. These critical statements are not new; Neidhart had already taken up the topic of referee decisions in previous games. Also in the game against FSV Mainz 05 II, which Offenbach won 3-2, the decisions were controversial, and the Kickers had received a total of three dubious penalty in the last two games.

Ofc managing director Christian Hock has already contacted the referee chairman, but without receiving a satisfactory answer. For the next game in Homburg, a referee from the vicinity of Hoffenheim is already scheduled, which could trigger additional discussions because the problems with the decisions last.

Current table situation

With the victory against Eintracht Frankfurt II, the Kickers Offenbach made third place in the table, behind TSG Hoffenheim II and SGV Freiberg. However, the latter have not made a message for the third division, which means that they cannot rise in the event of a championship. The Bornheimers, who went off the pitch with a 0-1 defeat against the Stuttgart Kickers, is currently taking fourth place.

In this tense situation, the pressure on the referees is high. As the players, referees have to make quick and precise decisions. If you look at the studies that show that up to 20% of the decisions in football can be wrong, it becomes clear why criticism of their achievements often becomes loud. Referees rely on evaluating their decisions from a variety of perspectives that can be influenced by external influences such as stadium noise.

Overall, it becomes clear that the discussion about referee services and their influence on the outcome of a game remains highly topical. While the Kickers Offenbach will continue in the third division competition, it remains to be seen how the situation around the referee decisions will develop.