The 1984–85 FDGB-Pokal was the 34th East German Cup. For the second consecutive year, Dynamo Dresden beat BFC Dynamo in the final, securing their sixth title.
The standard of refereeing in East German football had become a bone of contention in the upper levels of the SED and the East German regime, and the cup final was played at a time when the disillusionment about the successes of BFC Dynamo stood at its peak.[2][3][4]
The German Football Association of the GDR (DFV) and the football weekly Die neue Fußballwoche received more than 700 complaints regarding the performance of the referees in the final.[4]Harry Tisch was so upset about the performance of referee Manfred Roßner that he protested to Erich Mielke and complained that such performance undermined the credibility of the competition.[2][5] With DFV functionaries, as well as Egon Krenz and other SED politicians, uneasy about the negative reactions, a special review of the final was conducted.[3][6]
An eight-person panel led by DFV President Günter Erbach examined the video recording of the cup final on 21 June 1985. The panel concluded that 30 percent of the referee decisions were wrong, and that 80 percent of those had been of disadvantage to Dynamo Dresden. The referees had made 17 major mistakes during the final, of which 14 had been in favor of BFC Dynamo and 3 in favor of Dynamo Dresden. Of the 10 most egregious mistakes, 9 went against Dynamo Dresden. As an example, a regular goal from Ralf Minge was denied due to an alleged offside position. Referee Manfred Roßner was banned one year from officiating matches above second tier and assistant Klaus Scheurell was de-selected for the next round of the European cup. The cup final was the last match before retirement for assistant Widukind Herrmann.[4][7][8][9][6][2][5][3][10]
Manfred Roßner conceded that he performed poorly during the final, but insisted that this was unintentional and unrepresentative of his "impressive record". Nothing emerged that indicated that Manfred Roßner had been bought by the Stasi.[nb 1] On the contrary, Manfred Roßner claims that he was approached by the DFV Deputy General Secretary Volker Nickchen before the match, who confidentially requested "no BFC-friendly decisions". He was also approached by the incensed DFV Vice President Franz Rydz after the match, who took him to office for his performance with the words: "You can't always go by the book, but have to officiate in a way that placates the Dresden public".[4]
Manfred Roßner has continuously denied that he intentionally whistled against SG Dynamo Dresden in the cup final. In the book "Dynamo Dresden – a legend turns 50" (German: Dynamo Dresden – eine Legende wird 50) from Sächsische Zeitung, he said: "I can hardly look myself in the eyes when I analyze the game. But if I had intentionally whistled incorrectly, I would be half a criminal. That's not me."[9]
Notes
^Author Alan McDougall suggests that it seems more likely that the referees ”followed the pattern of ’pre-emptive obedience’ that had long shaped the relationship between officials and the Dynamo organization”. This pattern was replicated in other countries in the Eastern bloc. A comparison can be made with the 1985 Bulgarian Cup Final. The 1985 Bulgarian Cup Final was marked by fan unrest, mass-brawl and assaults on the referees. Referee Ahmed Yasharov had made some controversial decisions. He afterwards said: "Nobody tried to put pressure on me before the match, but it was always difficult to referee matches between CSKA and Levski. We all knew who was behind these clubs and that we had to be faultless. Sometimes the psychological pressure leads to mistakes". Referees in East Germany was caught between a rock and a hard place: between the attempts by the DFV to mollify anti-BFC sentiment, which were supported by the SED, and the desire of the Stasi to advance the interest of the club it sponsored.[4]
^ abcTomilson, Alan; Young, Christopher (2006). German Football: History, Culture, Society (1st ed.). Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. p. 55. ISBN0-415-35195-2.
^ abcdeMcDougall, Alan (2014). The People's Game: Football, State and Society in East Germany (1st ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 236–238. ISBN978-1-107-05203-1.
^ abDennis, Mike; LaPorte, Norman (2011). State and Minorities in Communist East Germany (1st ed.). New York: Berghahn Books. p. 133. ISBN978-0-85745-195-8.
^ abGeisler, Sven (9 August 2013). "Verpfiffen". Sächsische.de (in German). Dresden: DDV Mediengruppe GmbH & Co. KG. Archived from the original on 11 September 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
^Mike, Dennis; Grix, Jonathan (2012). Sport under Communism – Behind the East German 'Miracle' (1st ed.). Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan (Macmillan Publishers Limited). p. 149. ISBN978-0-230-22784-2.
43'Stübner
