Criticism of the refereeing decisions in Bayern Munich’s 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen seems to have continued since the end of the game. Nicholas Jackson and Luis Dias were both sent off in the game, but it was the latter’s second yellow card that became the focus of speculation. The Colombian winger was ruled to have dived in the Leverkusen penalty area in an attempt to win a penalty, but instant replays clearly showed he slipped as he approached goalkeeper Janis Blasovich and contact must have occurred.
Referee Christian Dingett admitted after the game that his decision on the field was wrong and VAR could not intervene because it was the second yellow card. Bayern’s request to lift Diaz’s one-match ban was rejected by the German Football Association, and Jackson will be suspended for two Bundesliga games.
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Former Bayern president Uli Hoeness was one of several people who came out to condemn the performance of the referees at Bayern Stadium. He even said that it was the worst refereeing performance he had ever seen. Dias’ situation was even more frustrating, Bayern also had two goals disallowed for handball, and Harry Kane’s situation was more controversial than Jonathan Tah’s infringement.
Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes, who recently came out to challenge Hoeness’s criticism of the match officials, was one of several experts to oppose Bayern’s attempt to appeal Diaz’s ruling.
“I don’t understand his criticism and I don’t think so. VAR caused the disruption. Apart from that, the referee let the game go; the game went well. There were scoring opportunities and challenges. I’ve been through worse games, even though I’m a little younger,” Rolfes rationalized (via @iMiaSanMia).
Of course, Rolfs knows, as does the rest of German football, that Hoeness is not one to bite his tongue in public, but he may have felt the need to show more insight in this situation. Tempers were bad and the game was full of drama, and with Dortmund’s win over Augsburg reducing Bayern’s lead at the top of the table from 11 points to nine, the situation only got more serious as it all progressed.
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Taken individually, Dingote’s call for Diaz’s second yellow card was certainly blatantly wrong, and there were other calls that certainly went against Bayern and were questionable to say the least, but it also cuts both ways. Jonas Hofmann’s late winner was ruled out because the top of his shoulder blade looked millimeters offside, and Diaz was probably lucky not to receive a straight red card for Robert Andrich’s high boot.
