Overview
- Kniat was punished by the DFB sports court with a one-match inside-stadium ban and a €3,000 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct after his red card.
- The decision followed his post-match outburst at referee Tobias Stieler, which he recounted on TV as calling the final whistle "geisteskrank."
- The ban rules him out of the touchline for Arminia Bielefeld’s next away game at 1. FC Kaiserslautern and blocks any contact with players for 30 minutes before and after the match.
- DFB rules also bar him from the locker rooms, the tunnel and the team area during that window, which limits instructions and in-game adjustments.
- Kniat apologized, said he expected the suspension and called his remark a clear mistake, noting he had already missed a game last season due to a yellow-card suspension.