Hoffenheim head coach Christian Ilzer made his feelings clear about the penalty and red card shown to Kevin Akpoguma in the 17th minute of his side’s 5-1 defeat against Bayern Munich.
“A completely wrong decision. There’s nothing to debate, everyone could see it. There was no foul at all. Seventy-five thousand fans in the stadium were expecting a great match. I feel sorry for them that it turned into this kind of game with one player down,” Ilzer said (as reported by @iMiaSanMia).
Hoffenheim sporting director Andreas Schicker shared the same frustration.
“It’s disappointing that a top-level match was taken away from supporters in the stadium and at home by referee Stieler. In my view, it was actually an attacking foul by Díaz. I simply can’t understand the call. We witnessed many players on both teams deliver strong performances, but one person [the referee] could not handle the situation,” Schicker stated.
It was unfortunate to see such a highly anticipated fixture lose its intensity so early, but Hoffenheim still demonstrated determination and courage. At the very least, club officials can take pride in their team’s effort, even if they believe they were treated unfairly.
