Emmanuel Thomas l Monday, May 1, 2023
BERLIN – The German Football Federation and the referee involved have acknowledged that Borussia Dortmund should have had a penalty in Friday’s 1-1 draw at Bochum, which could have major implications on the Bundesliga title race.
Dortmund went into the game with a one point lead at the top with five games to go. But the draw means champions Bayern can take over at the summit with a home victory over bottom side Hertha Berlin on Sunday.
Bochum’s Danilo Soares appeared to foul Karim Adeyemi in the box but referee Sascha Stegemann waved away Dortmund appeals and the video assistant did not intervene.
“He does not play the ball, instead he only makes contact with the opponent and brings him down. That is a foul and therefore a penalty, as the TV pictures also prove,” the referee’s body at the federation said in a rare statement on such matters on Saturday.
Dortmund coach Edin Terzic and sporting director Sebastian Kehl were furious and wanted to know why the referee had not watched the incident on the pitchside monitor.
Stegemann told Sky: “There should have been a penalty to Dortmund.
“When things go the way they did yesterday, you take that home with you. Then you take that to bed with you. You ask yourself a lot of questions. You turn from left to right. You stare at the ceiling.
The 38-year-old added: “That’s why the whole thing is still very much in my bones. I’m not just a football referee, I’m also a footballer and above all a human being.”
Dortmund also felt they should have had a late spotkick when Bochum defender Erhan Masovic handled in the box without knowing much about it.
But the governing body backed the match officials for not awarding a penalty in this case, stating: “The evaluation of the situation by the referee can be understood after viewing the TV images.”
Dortmund last won the Bundesliga title in 2012 and Bayern have taken all 10 championships since. This is the latest point in the season since 2012 where Bayern have not been top, but it could all change on Sunday in the most thrilling and now controversial German title race in over a decade.
