One day after the Bundesliga game between VfL Bochum and Borussia Dortmund, referee Sascha Stegemann spoke up and admitted the wrong decision. When the score was 1-1, Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi was fouled in the penalty area by Danilo Soares – Stegemann, however, allowed play to continue and did not look at the pictures again. To the incomprehension of the Dortmund officials, who mainly complained that Stegemann had not looked at the situation again in the review area provided for this purpose. Dortmund’s sports director Sebastian Kehl called the referee’s behavior “cheeky” and “cowardly”.
The day after, Stegemann saw the pictures and had to admit a mistake. “After looking at it, it’s a penalty in the situation with Adeyemi for BVB. However, I didn’t see it that way on the pitch at all,” Stegemann told “Bild”. He was sure that Adeyemi put his foot in it, and the video assistant also looked at the situation again. He noticed that Soares had missed the ball when he tried to slide, but he had the impression that Adeyemi was looking for contact, Stegemann explained on Saturday in an interview with “Sportschau”. After looking at the pictures, he regrets his decision. “Soares takes a big risk, misses the ball and brings down Adeyemi,” Stegemann said. However, he has the right to solve the scene on the field and not to have to use the VAR unnecessarily. “I’m really annoyed, I feel like shit. It was a very, very short night, I’m not fine with it,” said Stegemann in “Bild” remorsefully.
However, Stegemann could not say why the video assistant did not indicate that he should look at the scene again. “Of course it would have been helpful to get the impulse,” said Stegemann. But in Cologne (the location of the video review) there would only be people who made mistakes, emphasized the 38-year-old. When asked why he hadn’t initiated a review himself, the referee explained that Dortmund’s protests were limited. “If we check every situation in the penalty area on the edge of the field, we have an incredibly high number of interruptions,” emphasized Stegemann.
The DFB was also forced to comment on the penalty and another contentious situation in added time on Saturday. “The defender jumps sideways from behind with both legs in a duel for the ball. He doesn’t play the ball, instead he only hits the opponent and makes him fall. That’s a foul and therefore a penalty, as it is in the TV pictures prove”, explained the sporting director of the DFB Schiri GmbH on his homepage. In added time, Dortmund complained again, Erhan Masovic jumped the ball in a defensive action in the penalty area, here too Stegemann decided against a whistle. According to the TV pictures, Stegemann’s assessment was “understandable”, explained the DFB. The sequence of movements is not an unnatural enlargement of the body surface, but “a natural movement to support the body in the fall movement.”
The DFB receives support in the presentation from the referee experts from Collina’s heirs. Expert Alex Feuerherdt also took responsibility for the video assistant when Karim Adeyemi was fouled by Sky. This must give the indication to look at the situation again. “He should have intervened. The only explanation for me that he didn’t do that is that he took Adeyemi’s leg out as an attempt to take a penalty and he didn’t take Stegemann’s decision not to give a penalty as a clear wrong decision,” said Feuerherdt. Despite Adeyemi’s attempt to provoke a penalty, the expert sees the situation as a clear foul: “Soares doesn’t play the ball and only hits Adeyemi.” That was not an attempt to get the ball with a controlled tackle.
