Thomas Müller was disappointed after FC Bayern’s 2-2 draw in the top game against Bayer Leverkusen – and expressed his displeasure to referee Daniel Schlager in a TV interview.
DAZN presenter Alexander Schlüter also surprised Müller when he asked the national player after the final whistle and shortly after the bitter equalizer in the fourth minute of stoppage time whether the 2-2 score triggered a positive or negative feeling.
“What do you think?” Müller asked straight back.
“I have an idea,” Schlüter replied. “Okay, good, then we’re on the same track,” said Müller – and then asked the moderator and expert Michael Ballack: “How did you see the scenes before the 1-1 and 2-2? You can interpret it in many directions.”
Ballack sees Müller foul
Before Alejandro Grimaldo’s wonderful free kick goal to make it 1-1 in the 24th minute, Müller had hit Müller’s foot on a half-high ball, although his foot was relatively high up.
“He plays the ball, for sure. You both have your foot up, but because he plays the ball and you’re a little too late, you hit him – and the referee interprets it as a foul. You can give it like that,” Ballack then said to Müller: “You probably see it differently, that his foot is too high.”
Müller: “He kept his foot on it. He does play the ball, but with his open sole. I come from below and just want to shoot the ball away. There were two interesting scenes before conceding two goals.”
Referee Schlager later explained to DAZN: “For me, the Leverkusen player plays the ball, Müller tries to kick the ball, but only kicks the Leverkusen player in the foot from below. That’s why it’s a foul for me.”
Müller is surprised about the penalty whistle
In stoppage time, Jonas Hofmann fell in the penalty area after a duel with Alphonso Davies and contact on his leg. Schlager decided on a penalty after VAR intervened and viewed the images.
“Look how he falls. We’re still playing contact sports,” Müller fumed: “But of course, you can whistle. You will find arguments for it. But he is very soft. Look how the leg is already in the air.”
The Bayern star added with an incredulous smile: “He hits him a little, a little, a little. So a very soft penalty, very soft. In England he wouldn’t have been whistled.”
Referee Daniel Schlager on the penalty for Leverkusen against Bayern
Schlager emphasized that after viewing the images, “it became clear to me relatively quickly that the VAR description also corresponded to the images. That there is a clear hit, a trip by Davies. For me, Hofmann’s fall also fits with a hit in the calf. That’s why I decided on a penalty. Hofmann also bends away – that’s an obvious picture for me.”
Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel explained: “For me, in the 94th minute, in the top game, for a player who goes out of the box, it is far too little for the VAR to intervene. This is super soft for me. Don’t forget: the referee didn’t blow his whistle. We can discuss this a thousand times, but we will never get a 100 percent majority that it is clear. That’s why, in my opinion, it’s not a situation for the VAR.”
Tuchel continued: “You must not forget that the referee has a line and that there are previous tackles that he may interpret similarly, which may not be in the box. It has to stay that way! If you didn’t always whistle hard tackles or contacts before, why suddenly at the end? If that’s how he decided, it’s not a clear wrong decision for me. But it doesn’t matter what I say…”
Müller leaves interview: “It’s crazy”
By the way: At the end of his interview, Müller had to say something: “You can tell, I’m a little excited.”
In response to the partly ironic responses from Ballack (“It’s okay”) and Schlüter (“I didn’t notice”), Müller said as he left: “The fact that you’re not even a little bit… ah, come on! We play football, right? That’s crazy.”
2023-09-16 00:00:32
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