St Pauli to play behind closed doors

The German Football Federation (DFB) yesterday ordered St Pauli to play their next Bundesliga home game behind closed doors as punishment for last week’s attack on an assistant referee.

Second-from-bottom St Pauli will now host Werder Bremen at their Millerntor Stadium in Hamburg on April 23 in front of empty terraces.

The DFB punishment comes after last Friday’s league match at St Pauli was abandoned a minute from time with Schalke leading 2-0 after the assistant referee was struck in the upper back by a cup of beer thrown by a fan.

The referee abandoned the game and the DFB later ruled the result will stand.

St Pauli, who have lost their last six games, have appealed the decision which constitutes a heavy financial penalty in lost ticket sales.

It will be the first time in the Bundesliga’s 38-year history that a top-tier match in Germany will be played without fans.