Fan steps in to replace fourth official after linesman suffers injury

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An unusual incident occurred in the Bundesliga match between VfL Wolfsburg and Köln on Saturday when a fan was recruited as the fourth official after a linesman got injured.

Assistant referee Thorben Siewer was accidentally struck in the face with the ball by Köln player Max Finkgräfe in the 14th minute.

Siewer fell to the ground and seemed dazed, requiring around three minutes of treatment before he was helped off the field.

The 36-year-old couldn't carry on with the match and underwent further checks after being taken to the tunnel.

Initially, fourth official Nicolas Winter took over Siewer's duties on the sideline.

Due to a lack of available qualified referees, the announcer at the Volkswagen Arena made an appeal to the spectators for any potential certified referees.

Tobias Krull, a goalkeeper of German sixth-tier club MTV Gifhorn, then stepped away from the crowd and filled in as the fourth official for the remainder of the match.

Kto powiedział, że praca arbitra jest bezpieczna? Sędzia meczu Wolfsburg - Kolonia znokautowany. #domBundesligi pic.twitter.com/8OQ10MgxUz

— Viaplay Sport Polska (@viaplaysportpl) January 27, 2024

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