Bayern’s curious substitution error on Saturday is unique? No way: SC Freiburg also came very close to a blatant rule violation in a duel with Munich – then Uli Hoeneß came along.
Is SC Freiburg now appealing in the case of FC Bayern’s error in substitution? The people of Breisgau have until midnight this Monday to make their decision. Although Freiburg coach Christian Streich positioned himself clearly immediately after the 1: 4 on Saturday, said: “I firmly assume that we will not have to appeal.” Ultimately, however, the club decided to do so.
When Kingsley Coman was planned to be substituted, an incorrect shirt number was displayed – the Frenchman therefore did not feel addressed and stayed on the field. Bayern played with twelve players for a few seconds before Freiburg defender Nico Schlotterbeck pointed out the error to referee Christian Dingert. He then stopped the game.
Hoeneß ran into the Freiburg cabin
However, the incident is not unique. Because years ago there was a potentially serious violation of the rules in a duel between Freiburg and Bayern – but on the side of the sports club. Also in the spotlight: Uli Hoeneß.
The “Bild” recalls a curious anecdote from 2005: On the day of the DFB Cup quarterfinals between Freiburg and Munich, the then Bayern press chief Markus Hörwick noticed that the opponent had too many non-EU foreigners in the squad ( at that time a maximum of five were allowed, editor’s note) – Hörwick then informed the Bayern manager at the time about the possible violation of the rules.
Hoeneß, in turn, went to see Freiburg coach Volker Finke in the dressing room and said: “You’ve already lost the game with this squad.” This allowed Finke to correct the mistake and prevent possible consequences. However: Freiburg still lost the game at home 0:7 (goals: 4x Claudio Pizarro, Michael Ballack, Roy Makaay, Vahid Hashemian).
According to “Bild”, SC Freiburg is still very grateful to Bayern for the Hoeneß gesture. It is questionable, however, whether an action that is almost two decades old is the decisive factor for a decision in 2022. More likely that the situation with the mistake in substitution – score 1:3 – is included.