“Explanation simply catastrophic”
Tuchel rails against the referee after Hummels’ rescue act
March 30, 2024, 11:34 p.m
Defender Mats Hummels saves spectacularly on the goal line for Borussia Dortmund in the classic at FC Bayern. Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel then clearly criticized the referees. Harm Osmers later commented on the controversial scene on Sky.
The spectacular rescue act by Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels in the classic at FC Bayern sparked very different reactions on Saturday. After his team’s 2-0 win, the BVB central defender smiled and received congratulations for his artistic kung-fu jump on Eric Dier’s header from close range – Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel, on the other hand, sharply criticized the referees.
“A blatantly wrong decision,” said Tuchel on Sky broadcaster after viewing the video images and complained that the Munich team had not been awarded a hand penalty. Hummels had defended the ball with his leg outstretched, and the rebounded ball then lightly touched the hand of the BVB professional, whose arm was stretched high up. “The hand up there, we’ve also seen penalties where the rule comes, it’s an unnatural hand movement,” said Tuchel.
During the game, the referee team declared that it was not a penalty because the ball did not touch the hand. “The explanation is simply catastrophic,” said Tuchel angrily and, referring to the video referee in Cologne, said: “That’s what we were told by the fourth official, the cellar in Cologne confirmed that he didn’t touch him with his hand.” It’s “very annoying because that’s why they look at things.”
Referee Harm Osmers said on Sky that Hummel’s stretched leg was not a dangerous game and, based on the images, added that it was not a criminal handball. The football rules state: “Not every touch of the ball by a player with the hand/arm is an offense.” For Tuchel, Hummels’ action in the 35th minute when the score was 0-1 was “definitely a key scene” from Munich’s perspective. The 35-year-old BVB professional commented on the scene: “I’m not fast, but I’ve always been agile.” Hummels posted a picture of the scene on Platform X that evening.