The Bundesliga top game between Bayer Leverkusen and FC Bayern ended with a 1:1but referee Christian Dingert’s performance continues to be the focus of discussions. The sending off of Luis Diaz in the final phase in particular caused great criticism.

In the 84th minute, the offensive player, who had already been booked, went down in a duel with Leverkusen goalkeeper Blaswich after passing the ball past the keeper. Dingert interpreted the scene as a swallow and showed Diaz the second yellow card – the Colombian had to leave the pitch early.

After the game, the referee was self-critical. On Sky, Dingert admitted that his decision was too harsh: “During the game I perceived the incident as a swallow. I saw that. When I look at the recording now, it’s clear that it wasn’t a penalty. But the yellow-red card was very harsh. Now I wouldn’t give it anymore,” he said.

Hoeneß and Kompany are sharply critical

The scene caused strong reactions at FC Bayern immediately after the final whistle. Honorary President Uli Hoeneß found particularly clear words for the performance of the referee team: “This is the worst performance by a referee team that I have ever experienced in a Bundesliga game.”

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany was also dissatisfied with several of the referee’s decisions after the game. Although the Belgian initially praised his team’s mentality, he also criticized their sending off Diaz.

“I’m incredibly proud of the team’s mentality today. A lot happened, there were phases about which people can have different opinions and which influenced the game. We got a red card for Jackson out of the blue. There’s no discussion about that. However, Lucho’s yellow-red card is debatable. I can’t understand that.”

More controversial scenes in the game

In addition to the yellow-red card against Diaz, two disallowed goals from FC Bayern also caused discussion. Both Jonathan Tah and Harry Kane received the ball on their arms immediately before a goal was scored, which is why Dingert had both goals canceled after a VAR check.

However, the sending off of Nicolas Jackson in the 41st minute remained undisputed. The attacker came clearly too late against Terrier and hit his opponent in the ankle.

In terms of sport, both teams ended up with a 1-1 draw. Aleix Garcia gave Leverkusen an early lead before Luis Diaz equalized for Bayern in the 69th minute.