After Red’s record in the Bundesliga
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After his red card, Dominik Kohr will not only wake up as an inglorious record holder when it comes to Bundesliga sending-offs. The central defender of 1. FSV Mainz 05 will also be asked to speak to coach Bo Henriksen on Saturday, as the Dane made clear after the 1-1 draw against TSG Hoffenheim.
“Everyone says that wasn’t smart. I have to look at the scene and talk to Dominik tomorrow. We have to be smart in situations like this,” said Henriksen about the 31-year-old, who was sent off prematurely for the ninth time in the top German league.
Kohr, who was sent off against FC Augsburg in September, surpassed Jens Nowotny and Luiz Gustavo, who each received eight dismissals in the Bundesliga in their careers. Hoffenheim’s coach Christian Ilzer was also understandably not enthusiastic about Kohr’s entry against his professional Max Moerstedt in the final phase. “I’m not going to add any more fuel to the fire, but it was a crystal clear red card. Moere has his marks, he was marked cleanly. He got through it well apart from a bruise,” reported Ilzer, who previously told “Sky” that he had “not seen such a hard foul for a long time.”
Update 2:44 p.m.: The day after the game, Kohr spoke up on Instagram and apologized: “It’s important to me to address you directly today and especially to you, Max Moerstedt. In my head yesterday I just wanted to prevent a pass to Max. That was my focus, that was my intention, I didn’t want to hit Max,” he wrote. It was only when he saw the pictures on TV that he realized the extent of his action: “I’m shocked myself. It could have turned out differently,” said Kohr, who asked Moerstedt for forgiveness. “I’m relieved and glad that nothing happened to you and that you were able to continue playing.” He also addressed his team, whom he had left hanging, and the Mainz fans: “Even if it has already been claimed otherwise in public: I would like to throw myself into every duel for you, but I would like to assure you again that I never want to intentionally hurt anyone.”
In the relegation battle, Mainz will now have to make do without their defensive player again. “That’s what will frustrate Dome the most, that he has to watch. Us too, of course. He’s not someone who does something like that on purpose,” said sports director Niko Bungert. “Definitely a red card,” said Mainz captain Nadiem Amiri. “The Dome scene wasn’t that smart of him.”
The Mainz team fought to a 1-1 draw against Hoffenheim thanks to Joker Danny da Costa. Defender Andreas Hanche-Olsen had previously scored an own goal. Da Costa judged that Kohr’s hit from the foul was “very, very bad”. The goalscorer defended his long-time teammate against criticism and explained that he played aggressively, but not unsportsmanlike per se.