Bayern goal controversial? Kovac hits out at referee | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund loses the classic match against FC Bayern – and coach Niko Kovac loses his temper. After the controversial Kane goal, he lashes out at referee Bastian Dankert.

In the Bundesliga classic between Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern Munich (1:2), emotions ran high – especially for BVB coach Niko Kovac. After the game, the 54-year-old had strong words for referee Bastian Dankert and his interpretation of the rules.

The bone of contention was the early 0:1 by Bayern striker Harry Kane in the 12th minute. After a corner from Joshua Kimmich, the Englishman prevailed in an aerial duel with Serhou Guirassy and headed the ball under the crossbar. Kovac saw it as a clear foul: “Both hands are out,” he complained to Sky immediately after the final whistle. “Dankert blew the whistle on everything. So picky, he should have called that too.”

The Dortmund coach was particularly annoyed by what he saw as the referee’s inconsistent line. “If he lets it go, like in the other situations, then he can let it go here too. But due to his decision to be picky, it’s a clear wrong decision.”

Referee Bastian Dankert, however, stuck to his assessment: “I don’t see any impulse that prevents Guirassy from going cleanly into the duel. That’s standard in the Bundesliga,” he explained after the match. The video assistant also did not intervene – the contact was too minor to overturn the goal.

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Kovac received support from Sky expert Lothar Matthäus, who deemed the goal irregular: “Kane gained an advantage by shoving. I don’t understand why Cologne didn’t intervene here.” Philipp Lahm saw it differently: “I’m always on the side of the referees. For them, it was apparently too little.”

While Niko Kovac still spoke of a “poor performance” by the referee in interviews, he struck a calmer tone at the press conference later: “Basically, for me, it’s not a foul either. But the way the referee officiated today, he should have called it. He mixed up his own standards.”

Even in the Dortmund locker room, opinions were divided. Defender Nico Schlotterbeck said: “Since Serhou didn’t fall, you don’t necessarily have to call it. I believe that’s allowed in football.” For BVB, the defeat in the classic was the first loss of the current season.

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