Stefan Kutschke's Fair play Gold
Sporting gesture
Cologne - It would appear that fair play and the Bundesliga go hand-in-hand after the latest episode of sportsmanship in Germany’s top flight.
On Matchday 6, SC Paderborn’s displayed remarkable honesty and solidarity for a fellow professional by advising the referee to rescind a yellow card shown to an opposing player in their 2-1 defeat to Borussia Mönchengladbach.
It looked as though Kutschke’s heels had been clipped by Gladbach’s FIFA World Cup-winning midfielder in their clash at the Benteler-Arena last Saturday, for which referee Marco Fritz showed the 23-year-old a yellow card. Kramer was incredulous and TV replays showed there had been no contact between the two players. The official nevertheless took no notice of his protests, until Kutschke stepped in to corroborate his opponent’s explanation.
“I went over and told the ref that I’d slipped and fallen to the ground and that Kramer hadn’t fouled me. He then took the yellow card back,” said Kutschke. He was given a handshake by the referee for his honesty, as well as a glowing endorsement of his character from Gladbach head coach Lucien Favre: “Class, absolute class.”