Champions League
No hand penalty for Bayern: Müller complains about the interpretation of the rules
Thomas Müller calls for more freedom for referees to interpret the hand penalty rule
© Michaela Rehle / AFP
Bayern professional Thomas Müller criticized the interpretation of the hand penalty rule after the goalless draw against FC Copenhagen. The national player calls for more freedom of decision for the referees.
The hand penalty rule remains a highly popular point of contention in football. The latest chapter in the endless story is the missed hand penalty for FC Bayern Munich in the Champions League group game against FC Copenhagen. After the final whistle, Thomas Müller criticized that the current interpretation of the rule in conjunction with the video evidence was critical. “I don’t think anyone is happy,” said the 34-year-old national soccer player on the DAZN streaming service after FC Bayern’s 0-0 draw in the Champions League against FC Copenhagen on Wednesday evening. “I don’t know whether the boys and girls at Fifa are sitting in their room and saying that the hand rule is really great at the moment. I don’t believe that.”
Referee Stephanie Frappart took back the penalty for Munich in stoppage time after studying the video. Peter Ankersen had previously received the ball slightly on his forearm in the rib area in the penalty area. “I wouldn’t have given the hand penalty either, but I think the rules allow it,” said Müller. “At the moment, I have the feeling that the rules keepers want to objectify the hand rule.” But that doesn’t work.
Thomas Müller: “You can’t objectify the hand rule”
“You can’t objectify the hand rule,” said Müller. “Let the referees decide like with a foul.” The referees should also make decisions depending on the situation. “Am I preventing a goal? A huge assist?” said Müller. “If I go towards the corner flag and get the ball against my hand, then I’ll get it against my hand. Let the referee decide subjectively, based on a few criteria of course. Give the referee the power.”
The 39-year-old Frenchwoman Frappart took charge of a game involving the Bayern men for the first time. Substitute keeper Sven Ulreich, who was sitting on the bench, felt this particularly hard because Frapart showed him a yellow card in the second half, which visibly upset the goalkeeper. Still, he admitted the card was legitimate because of complaining. “It’s better not to say anything to referees than to coaches. In case of doubt, that can only be expensive,” said coach Thomas Tuchel cautiously after the group game.
The referee’s third appearance in the Champions League
Frappart was no stranger to the German national players around Manuel Neuer, Müller and Serge Gnabry. She was also on the pitch in the bitter preliminary round elimination of the DFB selection at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar against Costa Rica (4:2) a year ago. It was a historic mission: the Frenchwoman was the first female referee to referee a game at a men’s World Cup. It seems as if Müller and Co. won’t be happy with her.
It was Frappart’s third appearance in the Champions League since her debut in 2020, the first in the current season. In Real Madrid’s 5-1 win against Celtic Glasgow last season, the Frenchwoman stood out with three penalty whistles in the first half of the game. But she is not entirely new for FC Bayern either: in the past she led two European Cup games for the Bayern footballers.