Frankfurt/Main (dpa) – The hotly debated error in the changeover when FC Bayern Munich won at SC Freiburg should also have been a big topic on Monday at a training course for the Bundesliga referees.
The time for the training session in Potsdam, which had been scheduled long beforehand, could hardly have been more appropriate, because DFB chief referee Lutz Michael Fröhlich sees a need to speak after the incident, which has been unique so far. The German Press Agency answers the most important questions.
Do Bayern have to fear the consequences?
Yes. SC Freiburg officially appealed against the rating of the game they lost 4-1 last Saturday. The Bundesliga leader could lose the three points on the green table.
What chance of success does the appeal have?
The ball is now in the sports court of the German Football Association. The fact is: There was a violation of the rules, which, however, had no effect on the outcome of the game. Freiburg justify the objection with the fact that Bayern had twelve players on the field for almost 20 seconds in the final phase and that a player who was not eligible to play or be involved at the time was involved.
What are Freiburg’s motives?
The people of Breisgau want to evaluate the precedent under sports law and thus also create legal certainty for other clubs in comparable cases in the future. In addition, the club is also concerned with safeguarding economic and sporting interests. After all, the fifth in the table is fighting for participation in an international competition that would bring in a lot of money.
Is there a suspension for referee Christian Dingert?
The incident will probably have no consequences for the 41-year-old referee. “I would find it fatal as a message,” said DFB referee chief Fröhlich about a possible penalty for Dingert. After all, Fröhlich admitted that the FIFA referee was partly to blame: “There were errors in the process that were on the part of the referee.” Referee observer Knut Kircher was even clearer. “It’s a faux pas on the part of the referee team, which shouldn’t happen if you want to get the refereeing through to the end in a concentrated manner,” said the former top referee at “SWR Sport”.
Did the referee make any other mistakes?
Yes. Dingert should have cautioned the twelfth Bayern player on the field – Kingsley Coman – and continued the interrupted game with an indirect free kick for Freiburg. Instead, there was a dropped ball and no yellow. Both were “not significant”, said Fröhlich. The 42-year-old Dingert has been a DFB referee since 2002. The graduate administrator from Lebecksmühle has been in charge of Bundesliga games since 2010, and games of the world association FIFA since 2013.
Have there been similar cases?
VfL Wolfsburg made a momentous substitution this season in the first round match of the DFB Cup at Preussen Münster. Curious: Dingert was also involved there. The Bundesliga club had made a total of six substitutions – only five were allowed. Dingert and his team had not noticed this. Munster successfully raised an objection to the scoring of the game they lost 3-1, Wolfsburg were knocked out of the competition at the green table.
Does the DFB draw consequences for referee training?
Actually, that’s not necessary. If Dingert, his assistants or the fourth official had counted again before the game resumed – as Freiburg defender Nico Schlotterbeck did shortly afterwards – the mistake could have easily been avoided. “It’s simple math,” Kircher said. Therefore, the association wants to urge the referees once again to be more vigilant. “It has something to do with concentration and an overview. We have to talk to the referees about this again internally,” announced Fröhlich.
Will the regulation that has been in force since Corona that the team supervisors serve the substitution boards be reconsidered?
A return to the process that had been tried and tested for years before the pandemic, in which the fourth official served the substitution boards, is conceivable in the coming season. On the one hand, the procedure would be in one hand again, on the other hand, politicians have already lifted a number of corona rules. “Once the whole thing has settled with the pandemic, you should think about leaving it in one hand and going back to how it used to be,” said Fröhlich.
Will the gray area in the rules be closed?
The association must deal with this question. In 59 years of Bundesliga history, this is obviously a precedent. This season, however, the status quo will definitely not change. Fröhlich announced: “There was a mistake. You have to work it out in peace.”