The German third division rarely makes headlines across Europe, but a very controversial piece of play has put one team – and one player in particular – in the spotlight.
SV Meppen’s game against FC Carl Zeiss Jena threatened to turn ugly after what some would describe as really poor sportsmanship – and others might call someone doing their job.
Jena’s Julian Guenther-Schmidt went down injured with his team trailing 2-0 in the 57th minute – causing a Meppen player to stop so he could receive medical attention.
But, despite the entire Meppen team coming to a standstill, the referee never blew the whistle, and Jena player Soeren Eismann seized on the opportunity to steal the ball and race forward, bringing the score to 2-1.
Und hier noch einmal die #Aufreger-Szene aus dem Spiel @fccarlzeissjena vs. @svmeppen1912. Clever oder unfair von #Eismann? #FCCSVM #Jena pic.twitter.com/f37gUB2B8X
— Sport im Osten (@SportimOsten) September 16, 2017
It’s pretty remarkable really – and you can see exactly what the Meppen players thought of it as they chased Eismann down the pitch trying to exact revenge.
To make matters even more painful for the kindhearted Meppen team, Eismann later went on to equalise.
It goes to show that niceties will probably get you nowhere in football.