A German football federation tribunal on Monday rejected Hertha Berlin's attempt to secure a replay of the second leg of its relegation playoff against Fortuna Duesseldorf.
Hertha, which finished third from bottom of the Bundesliga, drew 2-2 last week with Fortuna - the third-placed team in the second division - after fan interference forced the referee to halt the game three times and fans invaded the pitch with two minutes still to play.
That meant Hertha was relegated after losing 2-1 at home in the first leg.
The tribunal threw out Hertha's protest against the result. The presiding judge, Hans E. Lorenz, said the match referee acted appropriately at all times and Hertha failed to prove that it was weakened by the interruptions.
Hertha lawyer Christoph Schickhardt said the club would appeal the ruling to a higher federation tribunal, news agency dapd reported.
