Freiburg solves “dilemma” cleverly
Because it’s not just a trifle of FC Bayern
By Tobias Nordman
04/05/2022, 07:48 am
A bizarre change mistake can relieve FC Bayern Munich by three points in the Bundesliga. Instead of on the field, the game is now decided by sports law. SC Freiburg has lodged a protest. And that’s a good decision.
Julian Nagelsmann had wished that FC Bayern’s faux pas should not be made too big. His Freiburg coaching colleague Christian Streich had wished that his club would not have to appeal because of FC Bayern’s faux pas. Both wishes were not answered. On the one hand, that’s not nice (for SC Freiburg), but on the other hand it’s a good thing (for the Bundesliga). Because now it can be clarified once and for all what happens when suddenly twelve players of a team are on the pitch. That’s exactly what happened on Saturday afternoon. The bizarre thing about it: the 17 seconds that the Munich team, leading 3-1, outnumbered them in the 85th minute became less of an issue than the rating.
Because that had been transferred to SC Freiburg. The German Football Association (DFB) had initially leaned back and announced that things would be looked at if the hosts, i.e. the people of Freiburg, wanted to. Actually they didn’t. Not athletic, not moral. Because those responsible for the sports club knew how to assess the unusual situation in the Black Forest station. FC Bayern decided the game shortly before the substitution and did not gain an advantage on the field in the short majority that followed. Kingsley Coman, the footballer who shouldn’t have played anymore, wasn’t even on the ball. But it’s not that simple. Because so far, all mistakes in the league and cup have been punished.
Even if the cases were previously stored differently. In the past, it was mostly about a foreigner being substituted on too many times. What was generally associated with the assumption that the import workers would provide a quality boost in the team, i.e. bring a “real” advantage. But it was also about one contract amateur too many on the pitch (Bayern was also responsible for that, by the way) or one change too many. Just like at the beginning of the season when Wolfsburg coach Mark van Bommel simply swapped six players in the DFB Cup. At the time, the DFB Federal Court ruled that the error in the change was an organizational failure by VfL. Transferred to the current situation, FC Bayern would now be responsible. And not referee Christian Dingert. Incidentally, he also directed the VfL game.
Freiburg does it twice right
So the dilemma for Freiburg was all the greater. And they did the only right thing. They have (a) expressed their displeasure with the announcement by the DFB and (b) spared the league a discussion about the fact that there are special rules for FC Bayern. Even if the courts of the association now decide per record champion. The verdict at the end of a possible chain of appeals is in any case binding for all further errors. And discussions that go back and forth, left and right, from top to bottom and vice versa will in future be deprived of (often) pointless dynamics and polemics.
SC Freiburg, the do-gooder of the Bundesliga, apparently did not make the objection easy. The application was only received by the DFB two days after the incident and thus a few hours before the deadline. Formulated with the right message. The club emphasized that they were in a “dilemma through no fault of their own”. The situation forces the club “into an active role” in which it has no interest. One motive for the objection is to create “legal certainty in comparable cases” for the future. In addition, it is about the “perception of overall responsibility for the club in economic as well as sporting terms.” Yes, that is also correct. And the club should not be blamed. Freiburg is fighting for international business and even has a chance of participating in the Champions League.
But what’s next? The DFB sports court will first obtain statements from those involved. After evaluating the comments, the committee will decide on the continuation of the procedure. There is no information yet on how quickly this will happen or not. But so be it. The verdict of the sports court is not necessarily binding. Within a week after the announcement there is the possibility of an appeal. This would then be heard in federal court. Its judgment is final within the association.
What are the chances of the appeal being successful? Well, the fact is: There was a violation of the rules, which, however, had no effect on the outcome of the game.