Neuer slams referee after Díaz red card: "That was pointless" | OneFootball

FC Bayern made another statement in the Champions League with their 2-1 victory at Paris Saint-Germain, remaining flawless this season. Despite playing an entire half with one player less, Vincent Kompany's team held on for the win. However, the red card for Luis Díaz and captain Manuel Neuer's reaction to the referee's decision caused some stir.

In the 45th +8 minute, referee Maurizio Mariani, after a VAR intervention, decided to show the Colombian a red card for a hard foul on Achraf Hakimi. The Italian had initially shown a yellow card but revised his decision after reviewing the TV footage.

Neuer annoyed: “Why do I have to run 50 meters for that?”

Photo: IMAGO

Before Mariani issued the dismissal, he called Manuel Neuer over to inform him of the decision. For the 2014 World Champion, this was an unnecessary step: “In my opinion, it was a bit pointless because he just informed me of the decision. He should just send him off, but he doesn’t need to pull me out of the goal,” Neuer explained to Prime Video.

The 39-year-old had to run about 50 meters from his goal to the halfway line – and couldn’t assess the scene himself: “I was too far away to judge it. I was told it wasn’t a very hard, not a clearly red-worthy foul. That’s why I’m holding back.”

“That’s why we have the captain on the pitch”

Neuer also made it clear that he found the referee's communication unnecessarily complicated. After all, Joshua Kimmich is the deputy who acts as the field captain and point of contact for the referee during the game: “That’s why we have the captain on the pitch. You can communicate with him.”

Despite the annoyance over the incident, the Bayern captain's joy over the victory prevailed in the end: The record champions remain unbeaten after the 16th competitive match of the season – and with the away win at PSG, they make another strong statement in Europe.

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