Kompany disappointed, Eberl furious: Bayern fight against Diaz suspension | OneFootball

FC Bayern do not accept the harsh Champions League ban for Luis Diaz and have officially announced an appeal. Max Eberl speaks plainly, Vincent Kompany is disappointed.

Three games off for the attacking star – a decision that is met with complete incomprehension in Munich and prompts clear criticism from those responsible.

Chief Sporting Officer Max Eberl confirmed immediately after the 6-2 defeat to SC Freiburg: „We have requested the verdict and will appeal. I’m not so naive as to say it will only be a one-match ban. If we could get one game off, that would be fantastic.“

UEFA had suspended Diaz for three games for his hard foul on Achraf Hakimi in the 2-1 win in Paris, a punishment that exceeded all of Bayern’s expectations. „It was a foul. I think two games for a foul is a decent and appropriate punishment. I think three games is very severe,“ explained Eberl.

If the ban remains in place, Diaz will miss the top match at Arsenal as well as the clashes against Sporting Lisbon and Union Saint-Gilloise.

Kompany on Diaz’s suspension: „Of course we are disappointed“

CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen clarified why the record champions cannot accept the verdict: „It was of course a serious foul. But it was not an assault. We have asked for the reasons and then lodged an appeal. And we will see if we can reduce the punishment.“ He also emphasised: „We are not appealing for the gallery. We are appealing for the fact that we are right in our view that there should not be a three-match ban.“

photo: IMAGO

Coach Vincent Kompany was also noticeably disappointed with the severity of the decision before the Freiburg game. „We all saw that moment and thought he deserved a one-match ban. But there were other opinions too. Of course we are disappointed,“ the Belgian said on Sky. On Friday, the coach had assumed that Diaz would only have to sit out one game – the unexpected UEFA decision followed a few hours later.

Diaz’s foul on Hakimi was judged to be excessive by the association, but Bayern continue to believe that the punishment was excessive. Kompany and sporting director Christoph Freund had previously emphasized that the Colombian never intended to injure his opponent.