👀 Poulsen fumes, Schlager explains: Why Vieira was sent off against Köln | OneFootball

The promoted teams’ clash between 1. FC Köln and Hamburger SV (4:1) was decisively influenced, above all, by two late red cards for the Rothosen.

After Immanuel Pherai was sent off in the 79th minute for repeated fouls, star newcomer Fabio Vieira followed just four minutes later. Unlike Pherai, referee Daniel Schlager sent the Portuguese off for dissent. The HSV bench was furious, coach Merlin Polzin received a yellow card – and we wondered: What did Vieira say to Schlager?

📸 Lars Baron - 2025 Getty Images

“He demanded time-wasting from Schwäbe. That was too much for me, so I showed him a yellow-red card,” explained the 35-year-old, emphasizing that Vieira had already argued with the referee several times before.

Since last season, only the captains are supposed to communicate with the referee. In this case, Schlager enforced the rule consistently.

However, HSV captain Yussuf Poulsen had a different opinion regarding the interpretation of the rules after the 1:4 defeat: “The rule is there to protect the referee. It’s not that we’re not allowed to talk to the ref. The second yellow-red card shouldn’t happen. You should be allowed to talk to the ref, you should be able to point out that Köln are running down the clock. That annoys me a bit,” explained the former Leipzig player.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 Lars Baron - 2025 Getty Images