“That’s not an attack”FC Bayern does not want to accept a long ban for Luis Diaz
The tackling was poor, there’s no doubt about it. However, FC Bayern was surprised that striker Luis Diaz was suspended for three Champions League matches. The Munich team now wants to challenge UEFA’s decision.
FC Bayern Munich is unwilling to accept its striker Luis Díaz’s three-match Champions League ban without a fight. The goal of the German football record champions is to at least achieve a penalty reduction by appealing to UEFA. “We have requested the ruling and will appeal,” said sporting director Max Eberl after FC Bayern’s 6-2 Bundesliga win against SC Freiburg. “I’m not so naive as to say that it will only be a one-game suspension. If we could get one more game in, that would be fantastic.”
The European Football Union has suspended Luis Díaz for three matches following his red card for a serious challenge on opponent Achraf Hakimi, who was injured in Bayern’s 2-1 win at Paris Saint-Germain. “It was a foul. I think two games for a foul is a fair and fitting punishment. I think three games is very harsh,” Eberl said.
If the current penalty remains, Colombia’s Díaz will not only miss Wednesday’s top game at Arsenal FC but also the next home games against Sporting Lisbon (December 9) and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (January 21).
Coach Vincent Kompany and Bayern management had assumed that their winger would only be suspended for one match on Friday. “Of course it was a serious foul, but it was not an attack and it was not directed at the referee, nor was there any further offense after the foul. Such things have led to three-match bans in the past,” argued CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen.
“We’ve asked for reasons so we can file an objection. And we’ll see if we succeed in reducing the sentence,” said Dreesen. He stressed: “We don’t object to the gallery. We object because, from our point of view, our approach is correct that there should not be a three-match ban.” However, the club doesn’t seem to be expecting too much, said Dreesen: “Realistically, you have to say that you can only get away with it in rare cases.”
