Freiburg/Frankfurt (dpa) – The hotly-discussed changeover mistake by FC Bayern Munich has a legal aftermath. On Monday, after an “intensive and extremely differentiated process of consideration”, SC Freiburg officially filed an objection to the rating of the Bundesliga game that they lost 4-1.
“We are in a dilemma through no fault of our own. SC Freiburg had no part in or influence on the events surrounding the transfer process. Nevertheless, the legal and procedural rules of the DFB formally force us to play an active role in order to have the processes legally reviewed,” it says in a statement from the fifth-placed player in the Bundesliga.
The ball is now in the sports court of the German Football Association, which will deal with the precedent. The DFB announced on Monday evening that the committee would first obtain statements from those involved in the procedure and then decide on the further course of the procedure. If Freiburg had waived an objection, the DFB would not have intervened.
Bayern reacted calmly to the Freiburg protest. “We are convinced that the DFB sports court can only come to one decision according to the applicable regulations: The rating of our 4-1 victory is preserved,” said Michael Gerlinger, Vice President of Sports Business and Competitions at Munich, on Monday at the request of the German press agency.
The record champions had twelve players on the field for almost 20 seconds in the final phase of last Saturday’s game before referee Christian Dingert stopped the match when the score was 1:3. A clear violation of the rules, which, however, had no effect on the outcome of the encounter. Freiburg justified the objection by saying that a player who was not eligible to play or be used at the time was involved. The DFB rules provide for this.
The confusion arose when the wrong number was displayed when Bayern player Kingsley Coman was substituted. The Frenchman probably didn’t feel addressed and initially didn’t leave the field after a double substitution. Dingert, who was only made aware of the mistake by Freiburg defender Nico Schlotterbeck, later recorded the events in the match report.
DFB chief referee Lutz Michael Fröhlich sees part of the blame for the incident with the referee, who probably does not have to expect a suspension. “I would find it fatal as a message,” said Fröhlich on Monday. There was criticism from referee observer Knut Kircher. “It’s a faux pas on the part of the referee team, which shouldn’t happen if you want to get the refereeing through to the end in a concentrated manner,” said the former top referee at “SWR Sport”.
With their objection, the people of Freiburg now want to bring about an assessment of the precedent under sports law and thus create legal certainty for other clubs in comparable cases in the future. In addition, the association is also concerned with safeguarding economic and sporting interests. After all, the fifth in the table is fighting for participation in the international competition, which would bring in a lot of money.
The club said they felt “extremely uncomfortable” in the active role. “Nevertheless, after intensive discussions at various levels and a legal review, the board of directors of the Sport-Club Freiburg eV decided to appeal against the rating of the game.” It is about taking overall responsibility for the club from an economic and sporting point of view and taking into account the interests of the stakeholders.
The Bavarians, who are nevertheless still on the best way to the tenth championship in a row, are threatened with the deduction of three points at the green table. Until the incident is clarified, the front runner’s cushion on pursuer Borussia Dortmund is still a comfortable six points.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220404-99-795180/5
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