After the semi-final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, one scene from the first half in particular is causing heated debate at FC Bayern. DAZN expert Michael Ballack even voiced an explosive suspicion against the refereeing team led by João Pinheiro after the 1-1 draw against PSG.
The incident took place just after the half-hour mark and could have potentially changed the game: PSG defender Nuno Mendes stopped a Bayern counter-attack with his arm, preventing a potentially dangerous situation for Munich.
As the Portuguese had already been cautioned, many Bayern players and fans were expecting a yellow card, but referee João Pinheiro decided otherwise.
The reason for the decision caused much discussion afterwards: the fourth official, Espen Eskas, is said to have pointed out to the referee that Konrad Laimer had allegedly played the ball with his hand beforehand. However, the TV images indicated that there was no handball by the Austrian.
Laimer himself reacted comparatively calmly to the scene after the game: „It feels like the fourth official has never said anything in any game, but well, it doesn’t matter, I can’t change him,“ explained the Bayern professional.
At the same time, the Austrian made it clear how important the situation could have been: „Of course, it would have been a very decisive moment if a player was sent off with a yellow card after 20 minutes,“ said Laimer.
However, Michael Ballack in particular was much more emotional after the match. The former Bayern professional sharply criticized the behaviour of the refereeing team. „Laimer also said: This is the first time that a fourth official has directly intervened in a scene like this. And he’s right,“ Ballack explained on DAZN.
The former national team captain was particularly irritated by the fact that João Pinheiro himself did not initially assess the situation as a handball. „He didn’t whistle it as a handball himself, because it wasn’t one. He didn’t whistle it. And suddenly the fourth official saw something,“ said Ballack.
The DAZN expert then became even clearer – and formulated a remarkable suspicion. „I had the feeling they didn’t want to give that yellow-red card. That’s my feeling as a spectator. And I’m saying that quite openly here,“ explained Ballack.
Although the ex-professional expressly emphasized that he did not want to accuse the refereeing team of anything, his statement was nevertheless very revealing. „Sometimes you look for situations so that the referee doesn’t steer a game in one direction,“ said Ballack.
For him, the scene did not provide a sufficient basis for the final decision. „The situation did not allow us to make this decision,“ said the former DFB captain.
Ballack received support from his expert colleague Sami Khedira, with the 2014 world champion also showing little understanding for the fourth official’s intervention.
„That’s a clear prevention of a counter-attack, of a goalscoring opportunity for FC Bayern,“ explained Khedira. Above all, the decisive influence of the fourth official left a bitter taste in his mouth.
„That’s very questionable and also a very decisive factor in the game today,“ said the former international.
The scene thus joins the numerous discussions surrounding the refereeing decisions in both semi-finals between FC Bayern and PSG.
