Overview

• The DHB-Bundesgericht ruled on June 12 that a decisive player count error in the original 28:27 match warrants a replay on June 29 at 17:00 in Essen.
• Dessau-Roßlauer HV has announced plans to pursue all legal remedies to halt the replay, arguing the ruling arrived after players left for vacation.
• Both clubs are scrambling to recall players who have already booked holiday breaks abroad, making organized training nearly impossible.
• A loss in the rematch would push Dessau from its original tenth-place finish to 17th, stripping it of a DHB-Pokal spot and prompting automatic relegation.
• ASV Hamm-Westfalen has proposed expanding the 2. Bundesliga to 19 teams next season to minimize relegation pressure and prompt a review of replay procedures.