Vincent Kompany on ‘game-deciding’ moment after Bayern Munich’s elimination

Vincent Kompany on ‘game-deciding’ moment after Bayern Munich’s elimination

Bayern Munich were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League following their 6-5 aggregate defeat against Paris Saint-Germain, but their 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night was the centre of refereeing controversy.

Firstly, João Pinheiro failed to show Nuno Mendes a second yellow card following a handball, instead blowing for a Konrad Laimer handball seconds prior.

“For me, it was clearly a second yellow card and then a red. Absolutely clear! Somehow, we got a call against us and that incident is, of course, a game-deciding moment,” said Vincent Kompany, who spoke about refereeing decisions for three minutes, of Laimer’s handball.

“I’ve seen the replays three times,” added the Belgian. “Perhaps you’ve seen different ones? I haven’t seen a single image where Konrad Laimer touches the ball with his hand. Is that right? Has anyone here seen different images? No?

“There are at least 50 people here. Not one person says that they’ve seen a different image. Well, I was ten metres away. I didn’t even get the feeling that Konni touched the ball with his hand. It was quite clear that he moved his hip around it, that he controlled the ball with his hip.”

Secondly, PSG midfielder João Neves handled the ball in the area, but the argument is that, according to IFAB (International Football Association Board) regulations, no penalty should be awarded for a handball from a teammate clearing the ball. However, Kompany argues otherwise: “The own player was ten metres away!”