Bundesliga: Game abandoned after crowd trouble

Schalke led 2-0 away to St Pauli when Friday’s Bundesliga match was abandoned due to an object striking the assistant referee.

Playing in their first match under new coach Ralf Rangnick, veteran Spanish striker Raul put visitors Schalke 1-0 up after 26 minutes at the Millerntor-Stadion.

St Pauli had a goal disallowed for offside in the second half and Schalke doubled their lead seconds later, with a strike from substitute Julian Draxler.

Defender Jan-Philipp Kalla was sent off for a second bookable offence and St Pauli were down to nine men when Fin Bartels was shown a straight red in the 79th minute.

Officials abandoned the match just minutes before the final whistle when assistant referee Thorsten Schiffner – the man who disallowed St Pauli’s goal – was hit by a missile thrown from the stands, believed to be a full plastic beer cup.

“We had to call off the game. There was no other choice,” referee Deniz Aytekin said.

“Even in the first half the assistants had been hit by lighters and coins.”

The game was immediately halted and the players taken off the pitch, with the officials forced to shelter under the umbrellas of security staff as more projectiles were hurled in their direction.

It is yet to be announced if the points will be awarded to Schalke or if the match will be replayed.

St Pauli, third from bottom and in the relegation play-off places, face the possibility of a heavy fine, stadium ban and a points deduction.

“Such scenes are unacceptable,” St Pauli coach Holger Stanislawski said.

“These things should not happen in stadiums. I can only apologise to the assistant in the name of St Pauli.”