In the 17th minute of Bayern Munich’s 5-1 victor over Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, referee Tobias Stieler had to make a tough call as Hoffenheim defender Kevin Akpoguma appeared to haul down Luis Díaz
in the box, preventing the Colombian from a clear and obvious goal scoring opportunity.
Stieler quicklly reacted as he blew his whistle to call the penalty and then whipped out his red card to send Akpoguma to the showers for the evening.
Afterward, Stieler explained his decision.
“Luis Díaz was faster and in the better position. He can shoot on goal, he can pass across. Then he goes down due to a foul by the Hoffenheim player. Accordingly, a penalty and, without another alternative, a red card. Because it was a foul and not a typical football action. If he had tried to play the ball with his foot and then made contact, there would just be a penalty – but that wasn’t possible in this case,” Stieler said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “I had a brief exchange with the Hoffenheim player. The nature of the foul itself was never in doubt. Look at his reaction after the penalty was awarded. He knew perfectly well it was a foul. The only thing we briefly discussed was the red card. Therefore, this is definitely not a matter for the VAR; it’s decided on the pitch.”
That explanation will not lower the frustration for Hoffenheim, but at least he explained his side of the story. Kudos for that!
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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