Toni Kroos (35), former Bayern Munich midfielder (205 appearances, in addition to being a product of their youth academy), Real Madrid (2014-2024), and Germany (114 caps), was a guest on the Einfach mal Luppen podcast to discuss the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich on Tuesday (1-2, Matchday 4 of the Champions League). He took the opportunity to offer a rather surprising opinion on the red card given to Luis Diaz (the 28-year-old Bayern Munich forward) for his tackle on Achraf Hakimi (the 27-year-old PSG right-back).
“For me, it’s clear: it wasn’t a red card. The referee let Hakimi’s injury influence his assessment of the incident. If Hakimi had gotten up after the contact, no one would have seen the replay. In this kind of situation, the referee must judge the action itself, not its consequences.” “,” comments reported by Le Parisien.
These comments are quite surprising, since the tackle was clearly dangerous. It was launched from behind, with no real chance of touching the ball, in the air… Even if Hakimi escaped unharmed by chance, it doesn’t change the fact that it was a very dangerous move. Precisely because it could cause an injury. It was rather surprising that the referee only gave a yellow card live and needed VAR.
