On Saturday, the German Football Association (DFB) acknowledged their error of not awarding a penalty to Borussia Dortmund during their 1-1 draw against Bochum.
The incident occurred when Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi was fouled by Bochum’s Danilo Soares in the box during the second half, while the score was level.
Despite this, the referee Sascha Stegemann ignored the incident and decided not to use the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to examine the foul.
The German FA’s referee department said on Saturday “the TV pictures prove” the incident was “a foul and a penalty.”
“The defender throws himself from behind to the side with both legs and did not compete for the ball.
“He (Soares) does not play at the ball and instead hits the opposing player, knocking him down”.
After the game, Edin Terzic, the manager of Borussia Dortmund, mentioned that the referee’s decision to not award a penalty was a crucial moment in the 1-1 draw against Bochum.
This draw allowed Bayern Munich to potentially take the lead in the league table by winning their upcoming match against last-placed Hertha Berlin on Sunday.
With only four matches left in the season, the outcome of the league title could be influenced by such key moments.
Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl said after the game “today, the referee decided the outcome of the match.”
“With the German championship at stake, to not look at this situation, is negligent, cowardly and completely wrong.”
If the play had been reviewed, Bochum defender Danilo Soares, who had already received a yellow card, would probably have been sent off with a second booking for the foul on Karim Adeyemi. The referee’s supervisor at the German Football Association (DFB) mentioned that the decision to award a penalty in favor of Dortmund could have been made without using video assistance.
In addition, the statement from the DFB commented on a different decision, where the referee chose not to award a handball against Bochum towards the end of the match, stating that the referee’s decision was reasonable.
It’s worth noting that Bayern Munich has won the last ten consecutive German titles.
