Monday, January 10, 2022
“Collina’s heirs” irritated
Stindl’s anger almost endangers Gladbach’s victory
By Alex Feuerherdt
On the first day of the second half of the Bundesliga season, there is an indirect free kick in Munich, Leipzig and Berlin after unusual incidents, two of which are even for the attacking team in the penalty area. The referees are attentive.
Actually indicated in the 77th minute of the game between the FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Mönchengladbach (1: 2) at the beginning of the second half of the season there was nothing to suggest that there might be a little trouble right away. The guests had pushed the ball into touch at the level of the center line, and before the throw-in for the home side, the Gladbachers wanted to make a double substitution. A supervisor was already holding up the electronic number plate, László Bénes and Patrick Herrmann were ready. But Thomas Müller grabbed the ball with presence of mind and carried out the throw-in at lightning speed. Referee Daniel Siebert let him go, so the change was postponed until the next interruption in the game.
The Gladbacher Bank protested loudly while the Munich team carried out a quick attack on the Borussia goal. At the end of it there was a shot on goal by Robert Lewandowski, which goalkeeper Yann Sommer was able to capture. But suddenly the referee whistled. Daniel Siebert warned the Mönchengladbach captain Lars Stindl, who had vehemently complained to the referee that he had given the quick throw-in priority over the change. In addition, the referee decided on an indirect free kick for Bayern around 30 meters from Mönchengladbacher Tor – Stindl had complained there.
Gladbach’s captain is wrongly upset
An absolutely rule-compliant decision by the sovereign referee, who will most likely also represent the German referees at the upcoming World Cup. Giving the fast continuation of the game priority over the substitution was perfectly fine, especially since the Gladbachers were not outnumbered due to injury and Siebert had not given a show of hands to signal his consent to the change. In any case, the decision fit in with his generous line that served the flow of the game. And if the referee decides to stop the game to show a player a yellow card for unsportsmanlike conduct, the rules provide for an indirect free kick for the opponent.
Instead of staying in possession of the ball with a narrow lead, the team from Niederrhein was faced with an opposing free kick near their own goal. The Borussia then refrained from further protests. It is not often, at least in professional football, that a referee stops the game in progress for complaining; in this respect, Daniel Siebert has deliberately set a stop sign.
Why Poulsen’s “high leg” doesn’t result in a penalty
In the encounter of RB Leipzig against 1. FSV Mainz 05 (4: 1) there was also a rarity to observe, namely an indirect free kick for the attacking team in the penalty area of the defending team. However, the reason here was not unsportsmanlike behavior, but dangerous play.
As such, as it says in the rules, “any action while trying to play the ball that could injure someone […], and includes an action by which a nearby opponent is prevented from playing the ball for fear of injury. “There is no physical contact, which distinguishes dangerous play from foul “goes to the ball while the head of an opposing player is nearby. This happened after 41 minutes when Leipzig’s Yussuf Poulsen just missed the head of Mainz player Aaron while playing the ball in an acrobatic and risky manner in his own penalty area.
Referee Deniz Aytekin rightly interrupted the game and decided on an indirect free kick for Mainz around 14 meters in front of the hosts’ goal. The video assistant then checked the scene again. Because if it had been found that Poulsen had even hit his opponent, the dangerous game would have turned into a foul and a penalty would have been due. But the VAR rightly had no objections. So it came to the free kick for the guests in the sixteen meter space of the Leipzig, but Anton Stach finally failed on the defensive wall.
Which is why Schwolow doesn’t get a card
Also in the game Hertha BSC against 1. FC Köln (1: 3) there was an indirect free kick in the penalty area, but for a different reason. After 66 minutes, Berlin’s Niklas Stark kicked the ball back to his goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow, but misjudged the timing and strength of the pass. In any case, the Herthan goalkeeper had to stretch in order to steer the ball past his own goal with his left hand and thus prevent an own goal from occurring. A curious scene with rarity and a violation of the so-called return pass rule, but the referee was not surprised: Alexander Sather, originally fourth official and after the half-time break for the injured game master Tobias Stieler, made the right decisions.
He awarded Cologne an indirect free kick just before the goal-area line – and rightly showed Schwolow no card. Although the goalkeeper prevented a goal with his unauthorized action, the rules clearly state: “If the goalkeeper illegally touches the ball with his hand / arm within his own penalty area, an indirect free kick is imposed, but no disciplinary measure.” Because in principle the keepers are allowed to touch the ball with their hands in their own penalty area – that is why a violation of the “return pass rule” by them is considered a purely technical offense and there is no personal punishment.
What distinguishes indirect free kicks from direct kicks
In general, indirect free kicks – hence their name – cannot be used to score a goal directly. That means: In addition to the person who takes the free kick and thus brings the ball into play, another player – regardless of whether this is a teammate or an opponent – must at least touch the ball in order to get one out of the free kick resulting hit counts. However, if an indirect free kick is shot directly into the opponent’s goal, then it continues with a goal kick. However, if a player touches the ball even slightly after it has been executed, the goal counts.
As a player or spectator, you can easily tell whether a free kick is direct or indirect: In the case of indirect free kicks, the referee raises an arm before taking it. But what happens if he forgets that and the following free kick is converted straight away? The rules have also provided for this case: the indirect free kick would then have to be repeated.
However, this did not happen on the day of the Bundesliga match of the strange indirect free kicks. On the one hand, it did not result in a goal, and on the other hand, the referees had thought of raising an arm. How they were consistently well prepared for these situations, which were rare even for them.