Bundesliga
“Cowardly” and “negligent”: referee’s anger and defiance at BVB
Referee Sascha Stegemann was the focus in Bochum. photo
© Federico Gambarini/dpa
Dortmund again does not get beyond a draw against a relegation candidate. The Borussia see the blame especially with referee Stegemann. He expressed himself the day after.
Edin Terzic was really angry. The anger at the big setback in the title race with FC Bayern and the anger at the team of referees led by Sascha Stegemann initially provoked harsh criticism and then defiance from the Borussia Dortmund coach.
“Now it’s just a matter of not having it in our own hands anymore. But that doesn’t mean that we stop or give up,” said Terzic after BVB’s 1-1 draw in the derby at VfL Bochum. “We are Borussia,” said the coach, emphasizing: “Regardless of what happened today, we will do everything we can to leave the pitch as winners again next week.”
After the Dortmund draw, Bayern can overtake BVB again this Sunday (3:30 p.m. / DAZN) with a win against Bundesliga bottom team Hertha BSC. From the point of view of Dortmund, the person responsible for this is to blame for the referee. “What I simply demand is that you do everything you can to not make a wrong decision. And that didn’t happen today,” complained Terzic. He and sports director Sebastian Kehl got upset about three game-changing scenes.
Stegemann self-critical
Before Bochum made it 1-0, they saw a foul on Emre Can. In addition, Dortmund should have received two penalties from their point of view – a foul and a hand penalty. Terzic was particularly angry when Bochum’s defender Danilo Soares, who had already been warned, tackled Karim Adeyemi, who had received a yellow card for a swallow the previous week. He called for penalties for Dortmund and yellow-red for Soares.
Stegemann himself commented on the scene on Saturday. “With the time lag and after looking at the TV pictures, it’s a clear penalty for me. Accordingly, Borussia Dortmund should have been awarded a penalty,” he said on pay-TV broadcaster Sky.
The 38-year-old gave insights into his emotional world. “When things go the way they went yesterday, you take that home with you. Then you take that to bed,” he said. “You ask yourself a lot of questions. You turn from left to right. You stare at the ceiling. You get up at some point. That’s why the whole thing is still very much in my bones.”
Kehl beside himself
BVB sports director Kehl could not be reassured. In the catacombs of the Ruhr Stadium he became unusually loud. “Today things didn’t go according to plan,” Kehl complained. “Today I just have to say, the referee won the game for me.”
Kehl also complained about the unused video support. “Not to use the tool that we have at our disposal in this situation I think is absolutely negligent, I think it’s cowardly and completely wrong. We are incredibly angry about it.” Stegemann cost BVB two points. The referee said on WDR about the foul on Adeyemi with a view to the video assistant Robert Hartmann: “It would have been very, very helpful if there had been a corresponding impulse.”
During the game, the stunned Dortmund team tried several times to influence Stegemann and the fourth official, Sören Storks. “It’s a unique opportunity for us, it’s maybe a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to get so close to the championship trophy,” said Terzic. “And then there are decisions like this, where there’s so much at stake. The only thing I asked: watch it if you’re not sure about the pace!”
Kobel looks ahead
BVB goalkeeper Gregor Kobel would also have liked a penalty whistle, but didn’t just blame the referee team. “We still had chances to score. We have to win the game,” said the 25-year-old. Not for the first time this season, Dortmund failed to use their playful superiority to score enough goals. In addition to the defeat in the second half of the season duel with Bayern (2:4), the missed victories against relegation candidates Schalke (2:2), Stuttgart (3:3) and now Bochum could cost the championship.
“Nothing is over yet, nothing has been decided yet. We have to look ahead now,” Kobel demanded. “We’re a very good team with a lot of top characters who will definitely get back on our feet. We still have a big goal. We have to fight for it.”