The huge anger about the “negligent” mistake is far from gone, but Borussia Dortmund was forced to draw a line under the emotional referee discussion. “That was definitely blatant, but now it has to be good, too,” said BVB Managing Director Hans-Joachim Watzke of the German Press Agency on Sunday, on which the dejected referee Sascha Stegemann continued his media apology marathon – and by serious ones reported threats.
He and his family were “very specifically threatened,” said the 38-year-old on Sunday on TV station Sport1 in “Doppelpass”. He had “unfortunately felt compelled to file a criminal complaint accordingly”. Temporary protective measures are also in the room. Despite all the disappointment, the “hostility of any kind” is “not even remotely” tolerable, Watzke said on the club’s website. Probably also to cool down the heated discussion, the BVB boss emphasized: “We accept the insight and that’s it for us now.”
To underline this, young star Youssoufa Moukoko was also allowed to send combative tones towards title rival FC Bayern Munich on the club’s own TV. “Why isn’t it over?” asked the national player – and then gave the answer himself: “Because we don’t let any opponent, no referee, no illness stop us. We believe in it, we are firmly convinced of it.”
Coach Edin Terzic also turned his anger into fighting spirit shortly after the 1-1 draw at VfL Bochum on Friday. The two points lost don’t mean “that we’re retiring or giving up,” emphasized Terzic: “We’re Borussia.”
Those responsible saw the blame for the fact that Bayern could overtake BVB again this Sunday (3.30 p.m. / DAZN) with a win against Bundesliga bottom team Hertha BSC. “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. Sports director Sebastian Kehl even said that “things didn’t go right” and hinted vaguely: “I don’t want to know what would have happened if FC Bayern had played here today.”
The Dortmunders complained about a foul on Emre Can before the 0:1 and demanded a penalty in the final phase, but the big excitement was something else: the missed penalty after the already warned VfL defender Danilo Soares attacked Karim Adeyemi, who in the had seen a yellow card for a swallow last week.
On the pitch he noticed a “wanted contact” from Adeyemi, said Stegemann, who admitted and tried to explain his faux pas in various media. The matter hangs him “still very much in the bones”, admitted the graduate administrator. He now wants to “let things sink in” and “think about whether a break makes sense or whether it is even better to continue immediately”.
Video assistant Robert Hartmann was also criticized, who, despite the television pictures, did not recognize any glaring mistakes and did not intervene from Cologne or at least send Stegemann to the review area. “It would have been very, very helpful if there had been a corresponding impetus,” said Stegemann.
Kehl was enraged that this didn’t happen in such a tricky phase of the season in the close race for the title. That was “absolutely negligent”, he considers it “cowardly and completely wrong”. Terzic explained the high emotions with a lifelong dream: “It’s a unique opportunity for us, it’s maybe a unique opportunity in my life to come so close to the championship trophy.” That’s why his only request to Stegemann was: “Look at it if you’re not sure about the speed!”
BVB goalkeeper Gregor Kobel 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.”
