Freiburg appeal Bayern result — What happens next

What happened?

After a substitution in the 86th minute of Bayern Munich's match in Freiburg last Saturday, the visitors wound up playing briefly with 12 men on the pitch. Niklas Süle and Marcel Sabitzer both came on, but only Corentin Tolisso came off, leaving Bayern with an extra man on the pitch for 17 seconds. 

The other player who had been meant to come off was Kingsley Coman. However, Bayern's team manager, Kathleen Krüger, mistakenly showed the number 29, Coman's number prior to this season, on the electronic substitution board, instead of 11, his current number. The Frenchman therefore apparently didn't realize he was supposed to come off. 

Referee Christian Dingert restarted the match, but whistled play dead after Freiburg defender Nico Schlotterbeck alerted him to the mistake. After a delay of several minutes, the match was restarted, with both teams having the regulation 11 men on the pitch.

When the incident happened, Bayern were up 3-1; Sabitzer scored in the dying minutes to make it a 4-1 final for the serial Bundesliga champions.

Who is to blame?

There is plenty of blame to go around. Obviously, team manager Krüger could have avoided the whole fiasco by displaying Coman's current number on the electronic board. Prior to the COVID-19 she wouldn't have had to, as until the pandemic broke out, the fourth official was responsible for operating the substitution board.  

Referee Dingert should never have allowed two players to sub on when only one came off either. Under the German FA's (DFB) Rule 3, players are only allowed to enter the pitch on instruction of the referee after the player he (or her) is replacing, has left the field of play. 

According to former FIFA referee Knut Kircher, who was the DFB's official referee observer for the match, assistant referee Benedikt Kempkes and fourth official Arno Blos were also to blame for not noticing the mistake.

"This was a faux pas by the refereeing team that should not happen if you aim to see the game through to its end in a concentrated manner," Kircher told public broadcaster SWR.

Kircher added that Dingert should have shown Coman the yellow card for becoming the 12 man to enter the pitch for Bayern.

Did it affect the outcome of the game?

Ultimately this depends on the outcome of Freiburg's appeal of the result. In terms of the flow of the game itself, with Bayern leading 3-1 and no goal being scored in those 17 seconds, it had none.

Why did Freiburg decide to protest?

In a statement posted on their website, the club said they had come to the decision to do so after "an intensive and extremely differentiated process of deliberation" about Saturday's events. 

"We have no interest whatsoever in taking up this active role which has been given to us against our will, and feel distinctively uncomfortable in it," the statement added, indicating that had the club not lodged the appeal, the DFB would have taken no action. 

"SC Freiburg played no part in and had no influence over the events surrounding the substitution process," the statement stressed.

It cited two main reasons for launching the appeal, saying it had a duty to "the entire club in both economic and sporting terms and taking into account the interests of shareholders and other groups." 

The statement also said the Freiburg were seeking to "protect the rights of other clubs who suffer comparable situations in the future," a reference to the fact that, whichever way the decision goes, it will set a precedent for future such cases.

What are the possible consequences?

In the worst-case scenario for Bayern, the result could be reversed. Paragraph 17 of the German FA's (DFB) rulebook states that if a team is found guilty of fielding an ineligible player, its opponent will be awarded a 2-0 win, along with the three points that go with it.

While second-placed Borussia Dortmund are still not out of contention mathematically, Bayern enjoy a 9-point lead with just six matches to go and appear to be well on their way to claiming a 10th straight Bundesliga title. 

Freiburg, on the other hand, are in fifth place, three points behind RB Leipzig, who occupy the final Champions League berth. The three points from Saturday's match could be crucial in Freiburg's bid to reach Europe's most prestigious – and lucrative club competition for the first time in its history.

Where does the case go from here?

The case is to be dealt with by the DFB's sports court, which said in a statement that it would "first seek opinions from the parties involved in the procedure." 

The court then needs to decide whether the proceedings will be purely written or whether there will be an oral hearing. In past cases, the sports court has tended to favor hearing oral arguments for reasons of transparency.

A decision is expected by late this week or early next week. The court's decision is not final, as the loser in the case could appeal the decision at a German federal court.

Edited by: Davis VanOpdorp