Bayern Munich Fume Over Blown Offside Call

Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt labelled the late offside decision in their UEFA Champions League semifinal loss to Real Madrid as a “disgrace,” while manager Thomas Tuchel accused the officials of “betrayal.” De Ligt thought he’d levelled the tie in stoppage time when he fired home from close range, only for referee Szymon Marciniak to blow his whistle for offside, ending Bayern’s hopes with a 2-1 defeat at the Bernabeu. Madrid advanced to the final on a 4-3 aggregate victory.

Tuchel didn’t hold back in his criticism of the refereeing team, revealing that the linesman had apologised to him afterwards. He expressed frustration that the officials blew the whistle too early instead of letting the play unfold naturally.

“It was a disastrous decision from the linesman and the referee. It feels almost like a betrayal in the end because of that decision. It was a huge fight, we left everything on the pitch. We were almost there. Now we have to say congratulations to Real Madrid.

“The linesman said sorry … The referee does not have to flag – he sees that we win the second ball, he sees that we get a shot away. To whistle is a very, very bad decision. It’s against the rules, and it’s a bad decision from both of them. It’s a disaster, tough to swallow, but it is the way it is,” Tuchel said.

De Ligt, too, was incensed, pointing to an earlier incident involving Real Madrid striker Joselu, whose goal was initially flagged for offside but later awarded after a VAR review. “I think we all know the rules. If the offside call is not clear, you have to play on! This is the rule! I find it a little bit of a disgrace. The goal of Joselu was also almost offside and they keep on playing, so why not with us?” he exclaimed, noting the inconsistency in officiating.

Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was unsympathetic to Bayern’s complaints, defending the referee’s decision and insisting that his players had stopped after the whistle. “The move is quite clear, the linesman raised his flag, the referee blew his whistle and we stopped. If they complain about that, we can complain about Nacho’s disallowed goal, because Kimmich dived, the two of them were pushing each other,” Ancelotti said.

Madrid now prepares to face Borussia Dortmund in the final on June 1 at Wembley Stadium, seeking a record-extending 15th Champions League title.

Image courtesy Deposit Photos.