Sinsheim (AP) – Fürth’s sports director Rachid Azzouzi quarreled with referee Felix Zwayer after the Franconians were 0-0 at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
Until shortly before the end, the Berliner whistled the game in the Bundesliga well – “but only until then”. What got Azzouzi so excited was a foul by Hoffenheim’s Christoph Baumgartner in the 87th minute. He lost the ball on the center line against Tobias Raschl, then he knocked down the Fürther and thus prevented the guests from having a good counterattack chance.
Zwayer whistled, but did not send Baumgartner, who had already been warned in the first half, off the field. “It was a clear yellow-red card. And I stick to it, if we had been that, we would have gotten yellow-red. It was Hoffenheim, so there were no yellow-reds,” said Azzouzi on DAZN.
It’s been like that for the entire season. “No reproach, maybe it’s just subconsciously that you look over the little ones from time to time, and with the big ones you just let things go,” said Azzouzi. If Zwayer had sent Baumgartner off, “then he would have done it perfectly today,” said Azzouzi.
After the goalless draw, the Fürthers can hardly be saved from relegation. Four games before the end of the season, eleven points separate the promoted team from Franconia from VfB Stuttgart, who are currently in relegation rank 16. A jump to the saving 15th place is already almost impossible.