Dominik Kohr, central defender for FSV Mainz, is not a fan of referee Sascha Stegemann. Kohr's team lost 0-4 to Bayern Munich in the German Cup on Wednesday, and according to the 30-year-old defender, the referee played a role in that outcome.
Embed from Getty Images
The German Cup match between Mainz and Bayern Munich ended in a resounding 0-4 defeat for the home team, but it wasn’t just the scoreline that left Mainz players frustrated.
Bayern’s dominance on the field was clear, with Jamal Musiala scoring an impressive hat trick and Leroy Sané adding another goal before halftime. Yet, Mainz’s players felt the game was heavily influenced by questionable officiating, with several key decisions favoring Bayern and leaving the hosts feeling hard done by.
After the match, Mainz defender Dominik Kohr didn’t hold back in his critique of referee Sascha Stegemann. Known for his physical style, Kohr voiced his frustration over calls that he felt stifled Mainz’s ability to play their usual tough game against a high-caliber opponent like Bayern. “The ref was wearing a Bayern shirt,” Kohr remarked, clearly implying that Stegemann's decisions were consistently tilted toward the Munich side.
He explained further, “Sometimes you have to criticize that. We, as Mainz, try to play tough and give our all. If you don’t allow that, it becomes difficult.” Kohr himself was shown the game’s first yellow card within the opening twenty minutes after a series of robust challenges on Musiala, who was Bayern’s standout player of the night. This early booking restricted Kohr’s style for the rest of the game and set a tone that he believed unfairly benefited Bayern.
Kohr’s grievances extended to what he referred to as the “Bayern bonus” a perception that referees tend to favor Germany’s top team with small, yet cumulative calls in their favor. “So many small calls were quickly given in Bayern’s favor. That’s the Bayern bonus. I don’t want to talk too much about the referee, but this has to be mentioned.”
Goalkeeper Robin Zentner echoed Kohr’s frustration, specifically pointing to Musiala’s second goal. According to Zentner, Musiala was clearly offside, yet the officials failed to flag it, leading to Bayern’s second goal. The absence of VAR in the DFB Pokal until the quarterfinals was a sore point for Zentner, who believed that video assistance would have corrected the oversight. “That he didn’t see it,” Zentner sighed in disbelief. “It wasn’t even close! We didn’t have any luck with the referee.” For Zentner, this moment underscored the gap in resources available in early DFB Pokal rounds, leaving teams vulnerable to human error in key moments.
The lack of VAR meant that Stegemann’s decisions went unchecked, a reality that weighed heavily on Mainz, who felt they weren’t given a fair chance against Bayern’s offensive firepower. Zentner’s complaint about Musiala’s offside position added fuel to Mainz’s sense of injustice, as that goal helped Bayern take a commanding lead, dampening Mainz’s chances of mounting any comeback.
Mainz’s manager, though more restrained, also hinted at a general frustration with how the officiating influenced the game’s flow. He noted that while Bayern were the stronger team, Mainz’s style and game plan had been impacted by early calls that went against them. “We know Bayern is a very strong team, and they played well, but the game dynamics changed with those calls, making it tough for us to compete on equal footing,” he stated diplomatically.
Overall, the match left Mainz feeling as though they were playing not only against Bayern but also against the tide of officiating decisions that compounded their struggles on the field. As the DFB Pokal advances, the lack of VAR in early rounds remains a contentious point, with Mainz’s experience highlighting the challenges that smaller clubs face when competing against Germany’s powerhouse teams. For players like Kohr and Zentner, the experience has deepened concerns about refereeing standards, especially in high-stakes cup matches where every call can tip the scales, reinforcing the perception that certain teams are more likely to receive favorable decisions.
Updated: 03:03, 31 Oct 2024
