Cologne’s ex-keeper Thomas Kessler is one of the loudest players on the sidelines. He now has to sit out the game against Frankfurt.
1. FC Cologne is in the middle of a relegation battle – and will now have to do without former goalkeeper Thomas Kessler in the upcoming league home game against Eintracht Frankfurt. At least on the sidelines.
The Cologne head of the licensed player department saw his fourth yellow card in the game against Wolfsburg on Saturday and has therefore been suspended by the DFB for the upcoming game against Eintracht Frankfurt. A strange novelty in the Bundesliga. According to information from t-online, Kessler is the first team official (neither coach nor player) to have to sit out with a yellow card suspension. In fact, his warning was not the only strange event in Wolfsburg (you can read more about it here).
Kessler dissatisfied with the referee’s decisions
In 2018, FIFA decided to introduce punishment for red and yellow cards for coaches as well. A measure that also found its way into the Bundesliga.
“As part of an indoor stay ban, a team official is not permitted to be inside the stadium during his team’s game. The indoor ban begins half an hour before the start of the game and ends half an hour after the final whistle,” says the official regulations DFB, which also applies to Kessler. Next Saturday he will not be allowed to be in the interior, in the changing rooms, in the players’ tunnel or in the locker room, nor will he be allowed to have any “direct or indirect” contact with the team.
According to his own statement, Kessler was not entirely satisfied with “some situations” in the game against VfL Wolfsburg (1:1). Specifically, the 38-year-old was concerned with two controversial actions in stoppage time in the first half. Among other things, a missed penalty in the twelfth minute of stoppage time in the first half angered him. “I would really like to ask that some people take a look at it again. That was a clear wrong decision,” said Kessler in anger.
His fourth offense now results in a one-game suspension. Kessler had previously seen the yellow box at the home games against Gladbach and Augsburg as well as the away game in Freiburg.