🧨 Bayern hard done by? Kompany v ref: seeing things that aren't there 🤬 | OneFootball

Joao Pinheiro’s refereeing decisions sparked long debate during the second leg of the Champions League semi-final between Bayern Munich and PSG at the Allianz Arena.

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The referee’s decisions (and those of VAR) enraged the Bavarian side, coach Vincent Kompany, and the fans in the stands.

Two incidents — both in the first half, with the score at 1-0 in favor of the Parisians — that could have changed the course of the match and perhaps even the race for a place in the final, scheduled for June 30 at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.

⚠️ Nuno Mendes RISKED a RED

Bayern’s anger was focused above all on two incidents in the first half. The first involved Nuno Mendes, already on a yellow card, who handled the ball at midfield in a moment that could have led to a second booking.

On that occasion, however, the referee spotted a previous foul by Konrad Laimer, avoiding any punishment for the Portuguese defender.

A decision that left many doubts and triggered furious protests from Vincent Kompany and the German crowd.

🤯 Laimer’s ATTACK on the 4th official

Konrad Laimer commented bitterly on the refereeing incidents, focusing in particular on the play that could have led to a second yellow for Nuno Mendes.

The Austrian explained that he was convinced he had touched the ball with his chest and not his arm before Mendes’ handball:

“On the pitch I didn’t have that feeling. I thought I had played the ball with my chest, then Mendes touched it with his hand. Five seconds later the referee gave a handball against me. It’s really strange.”

Laimer seemed especially surprised that the signal came from the fourth official:

“Since when does the fourth official intervene in these kinds of situations? It had never happened to me before. That incident could have changed the match with PSG down to 10 men early on.”

🔍 João Neves handball, was it a PENALTY?

The second disputed incident involved João Neves, who was struck by the ball on the arm inside the PSG box after a clearance by Vitinha.

In this case, the decision to let play continue seemed correct both to the referee and to VAR, led by Italian official Marco Di Bello.

📖 What do the RULES say?

Bayern Munich strongly protested João Neves’ handball inside the PSG penalty area. The incident drew particular attention because in the first leg Alphonso Davies had been penalized with a penalty for a similar case.

In this case, however, referee João Pinheiro let play continue and VAR did not intervene. According to the current interpretation of the rules, the decision is correct because the ball came directly from a clearance by teammate Vitinha.

In these situations there is a sort of “exemption” for handball, unless the action is clearly deliberate or unnatural.

🧨 Bayern CEO vs referee: "Surprising!"

Strong words from Bayern Munich CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen after the Champions League semi-final against PSG.

The Bayern executive openly criticized the appointment of referee João Pinheiro, in his first Champions League semi-final:

“It is, to say the least, surprising that a referee with just 15 Champions League matches can officiate a game like this. And perhaps that also explains some of the refereeing decisions.”

🤬 Kompany ATTACKS the referee: "Things were seen that don’t exist"

"Refereeing decisions that don’t make us happy." That is how Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany spoke to Sky Sport after the match in relation to the controversial moments during the game against PSG.

"I think that as a team you always have to take responsibility when you win or lose, but some aspects can be decisive. As for the penalty, we have completely different opinions, both in Paris and here. Then there’s the red card that wasn’t given, for Mendes, because apparently the referee thought Laimer had touched it with his hand: the fact is that there isn’t even a single image showing that, maybe it exists but I haven’t seen it".

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