Red for Union coach
Bjelica: “I can’t estimate” the length of the ban
How long will Union coach Nenad Bjelica be suspended after the red card? photo
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
This attack against Bayern star Leroy Sané will keep Union Berlin busy for some time. Coach Bjelica sees red for assault. The apology only goes one way.
After the memorable red card for an assault against Leroy Sané, the coach has to Nenad Bjelica from 1. FC Union Berlin is now waiting for his suspension to be announced.
“I’ll work with the team all week and then probably won’t be there for the game. But I can’t estimate how long that will take,” said the Croatian after the 1-0 defeat at FC Bayern Munich.
The derailment caused a huge stir – there had never been such a dismissal in the Bundesliga. Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel preferred not to comment. “It’s not my place to judge,” said Tuchel.
Bjelica had seen red because he caught Sané twice with his hand in the face. It was the big excitement of the Bundesliga game. “I want to give him the ball. He pushed me in my space, then of course I reacted,” defended Bjelica. He had to apologize to his own team for his behavior. “Not with Sané. He comes into the room to provoke me.” But that doesn’t excuse the fact that he didn’t react appropriately, said the Croatian. His team’s next opponent is SV Darmstadt 98 on Sunday.
Penalty kick enraged Berliner Bank
Before the red card, a missed penalty had angered the Berlin bank. The guests loudly complained about what they believed was a penalty-worthy foul by Konrad Laimer on striker Kevin Behrens (72′). Bjelica didn’t calm down after that. “I was a little upset,” he said on the pay TV channel Sky. But his behavior was “not okay. What I did cannot be tolerated. I understand the red card.” Sané got away with a yellow card.
“He pushed me, then I reacted how I shouldn’t react with my hand on his face,” Bjelica said. The Union players didn’t just see their coach as responsible. “I don’t want to sugarcoat anything, but it was well provoked. But it doesn’t excuse anything,” said defender Kevin Vogt.