TV pundit slams BVB penalty row: "No debate" | OneFootball

Following the spectacular 4:4 draw against Juventus, a penalty dispute continues to cause a stir at BVB. TV expert Didi Hamann calls for clear rules and sees coach Niko Kovac as responsible.

The wild 4:4 draw of Borussia Dortmund at Juventus Turin in the Champions League will be remembered mainly because of one scene: the penalty dispute between Serhou Guirassy and Ramy Bensebaini shortly before the 4:2. What at first glance seemed like a minor dispute, continues to cause discussions days later – and called TV expert Didi Hamann into action.

"You don't want to see something like the dispute before the penalty kick for the 4:2 between Serhou Guirassy and Ramy Bensebaini," wrote the former national player in his Sky column. At the same time, he warned against overrating it: "I am sure that something like this will not happen again and I would not overrate the story."

The scene took place in the 86th minute: Guirassy was fouled by the referee after a handball by opponent Lloyd Kelly in the penalty area and wanted to take the penalty himself. But Kovac had clearly designated Bensebaini as the shooter in advance. A heated discussion ensued at the spot, in which Marcel Sabitzer, Julian Brandt and Karim Adeyemi also intervened. Only after clear reluctance did Guirassy hand the ball over to his teammate.

Penalty dispute at BVB: Hamann calls for clear statement from Kovac

After the match, Kovac made it clear: "It was clearly defined that Ramy should take the penalty if we get one." However, he also showed understanding for his striker: "Of course I understand that Serhou wants to score the goal because he had a shot opportunity before." Hamann is convinced that Kovac has struck different tones internally: "But I am sure that it sounded a bit different internally."

For Hamann, the situation is clear: "Kovac made the decision and Guirassy has to accept it. There is no discussion." He also referred to the recent penalty record: While Guirassy recently missed his third penalty against St. Pauli, Bensebaini has a flawless record.

The dispute does not seem to be completely settled yet. According to information from Sky, both Kovac and sporting director Sebastian Kehl sought further discussions with Guirassy. However, the waves have not completely smoothed over – the 29-year-old is still "very irritated and angry" because he is only the second choice in the ranking of shooters.

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