Bundesliga referee improvises penalty spot after snow makes it disappear
After Cologne fogot to re-paint properly, the referee had to mark out their spot-kick using good old-fashioned steps
Heavy snow across Germany caused plenty of disruption to a programme of Bundesliga fixtures on Sunday – and that wasn't more evident than in Cologne.
Kick-off at the RheinEnergieStadion had to be delayed by half an hour due to a snowstorm which forced the club's groundsman to clear it from all pitch markings. As a result, the lines were painted red – but they forgot about re-doing the penalty spot.
So, when Sehrou Guirassy was brought down inside the box by Julian Schuster in the 18th minute, referee Robert Kampka was forced into the grassroots tactic of marking out the spot by counting steps.
After making a rough estimate, Guirassy stepped up and converted to make it 3-0 to Cologne.
And yet the hosts remarkably threw away their lead, as two penalties in the final few minutes ensured fellow relegation candidates Freiburg came out with an astonishing 4-3 victory.
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