Fortuna Dusseldorf's promotion to the Bundesliga has been confirmed after Hertha Berlin lost their appeal against relegation.
Berlin appealed against the result of a relegation playoff after a disruptive second leg against Dusseldorf.
A tribunal upheld a court decision that said that there was no reason to replay the second leg that saw Fortuna triumph 4-3 on aggregate to gain promotion to the top division.
The return leg in Duesseldorf, which finished 2-2, was interrupted twice for a total of around half an hour because of a pitch invasion and flares.
Promotion to the Bundesliga means that Fortuna captain Andreas Lambertz is to be the first player in German football history to be promoted three times with the same club - from the Fourth Division to the top flight.
Written by
Pascal Lemesre
Pascal Lemesre
