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Joao Pinheiro’s refereeing decisions sparked long debate during the second-leg Champions League semi-final between Bayern Munich and PSG at the Allianz Arena.
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The referee’s decisions (and those of the VAR) enraged the Bavarian side, coach Vincent Kompany, and the fans in the stands.
Two incidents – both in the first half, with the score at 1-0 in favor of the Parisians – that could have changed the course of the match and perhaps qualification for the final, scheduled for June 30 at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.
⚠️ Nuno Mendes CLOSE to a RED
Bayern’s focus was especially on two first-half incidents. The first involved Nuno Mendes, already on a yellow card, who handled the ball near midfield in a moment that could have led to a second booking.
On that occasion, however, the referee spotted a previous foul by Konrad Laimer, avoiding any sanction for the Portuguese defender.
A decision that left many doubts and triggered furious protests from Vincent Kompany and the German crowd.
🤯 Laimer’s OUTBURST at the 4th official
Konrad Laimer spoke with great bitterness about the refereeing incidents, focusing above all on the action that could have led to Nuno Mendes receiving a second yellow card.
The Austrian explained that he was convinced he had touched the ball with his chest and not his arm before Mendes’ handball:
“On the pitch I didn’t have that feeling. I thought I had played the ball with my chest, then Mendes touched it with his hand. Five seconds later the referee gave a handball against me. It’s really strange.”
Laimer was especially surprised that the signal came from the fourth official:
“Since when does the fourth official intervene in these kinds of situations? It had never happened to me before. That incident could have changed the match, with PSG down to 10 men early on.”
🔍 Vitinha handball, was it a PENALTY?
The second contested incident involved João Neves, who was struck on the arm by the ball inside the PSG box after a clearance by Vitinha.
In this case, the decision to play on seemed correct both to the referee and to the VAR, led by Italian official Marco Di Bello.
📖 What do the RULES say?
Bayern Munich strongly protested over João Neves’ handball in the PSG penalty area. The incident caused debate especially because in the first leg Alphonso Davies had been punished with a penalty for a similar case.
In this case, however, referee João Pinheiro let play continue and the VAR did not intervene. According to the current interpretation of the rules, the decision was correct because the ball came directly from teammate Vitinha’s clearance.
In these situations there is a kind of “exemption” for handball, unless the action is clearly deliberate or unnatural.
🧨 Bayern CEO vs referee: “Surprising!”
Strong words from Bayern Munich CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen after the Champions League semi-final against PSG.
The Bayern executive openly criticized the appointment of referee João Pinheiro, in his first Champions League semi-final:
“It is, to say the least, surprising that a referee with just 15 Champions League matches can officiate a game like this. And perhaps that also explains some of the refereeing decisions.”
🤬 Kompany ATTACKS the referee: “Things were seen that don’t exist”
"Refereeing decisions that don’t make us happy.” This is how Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany spoke to Sky Sport after the match regarding the controversial incidents during the game against PSG.
"I think that as a team you always have to take responsibility when you win or lose, but some aspects can be decisive. As for the penalty, we have completely different opinions, both in Paris and here. Then there’s the missed red card for Mendes, where apparently the referee thought Laimer had touched it with his hand: the fact is that there isn’t even a single image showing it, maybe it exists but I haven’t seen it."
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.
