Why Bayern keeper Urbig avoided a red card for handball | OneFootball

A controversial moment during FC Bayern's 3-0 victory in Gladbach sparked discussions: Goalkeeper Jonas Urbig touched the ball with his hand far outside the penalty area – but referee Sascha Stegemann allowed play to continue. Now, DFB Schiri GmbH has explained why the keeper rightly did not see a red card.

Just moments after Gladbach's Jens Castrop saw a red card for a hard foul on Luis Díaz, the stadium was already demanding the next dismissal – this time against Bayern's goalkeeper Jonas Urbig. Only seconds after the game resumed, the 22-year-old came far out of his penalty area during a clearance by the hosts, initially controlling the ball with his thigh before it slightly touched his arm.

The Gladbach bench immediately jumped up, and the players, including captain Julian Weigl, protested loudly. However, referee Sascha Stegemann was not swayed and decided after a brief consideration to continue the game. No whistle, no card – much to the annoyance of the hosts.

The decision subsequently led to heated discussions. Many fans and experts wondered whether Urbig should have been sent off for the handball outside the penalty area.

DFB provides explanation

Alex Feuerherdt, Head of Communication and Media Relations at DFB Schiri GmbH, explained on SPORT1 why the referee team made the correct decision: “Urbig first controlled the ball with his thigh, from there it bounced to the other thigh and onto his normally and naturally positioned arm. Therefore, the handball was rightly not considered punishable,” said Feuerherdt.

The DFB expert also clarified that a goalkeeper's handball outside the penalty area does not automatically result in a red card. What is decisive is whether a clear goal-scoring opportunity was prevented by the handball.

“Then it would have been necessary to assess whether there was an obvious goal-scoring opportunity or just a promising attack. The color of the card would have depended on that. However, this question did not arise in the case of Jonas Urbig for either the referee or us, because the handball was not punishable,” Feuerherdt continued.

Urbig remains Bayern's number one in the cup

Photo: IMAGO

The incident thus had no consequences – neither for Urbig nor for the course of the game. The young keeper kept a clean sheet and was part of a dominant Bayern performance, sealing their 13th win in 13 competitive matches of the season.

Next Wednesday, Urbig will once again be between the posts: In the DFB-Pokal match against 1. FC Köln, the 22-year-old will guard Munich's goal again, as captain Manuel Neuer remains suspended following his red card from the previous cup season.

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