Hertha loses second relegation appeal

After more than 10 hours of deliberation in Frankfurt, the German Football Association (DFB) announced that the second-leg of the tie on May 15, which was disrupted several times due to crowd disturbances, will not be replayed.

"The tribunal, chaired by Goetz Eilers, rejected Hertha's appeal that the outcome of the match was affected by fans storming the pitch towards the end, upholding their decision from the previous Monday," read a statement on the official Bundesliga website.

"The decision means Hertha's relegation from the Bundesliga stands."

The statement added that the club still has the option of appealing to the the DFB's own Court of Arbitration or the international Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The fixture in Dusseldorf was twice halted due to fan unrest, first after Hertha supporters threw fireworks onto the pitch and then when hundreds of Fortuna fans streamed onto the field with over a minute of stoppage time still to be played.

Once order was restored the match ended in a 2-2 draw, enough for Fortuna to win 4-3 on aggregate.

Hertha argued that the result should be declared null and void and the match replayed as its players were unable to focus on football during the final minute of the match, and lodged an initial appeal that was rejected earlier this week.