On Saturday, FC Bayern Munich meets Borussia Dortmund in the top game of the Bundesliga. In the past, the duel was characterized by debatable referee decisions, among other things. Is there a Bayern bonus?
From BVB’s point of view, the pendulum swings too often in the direction of Munich. “They have developed that over the years,” said BVB legend Kevin Großkreutz once ran: “The Fifty-Fifty things go to FC Bayern.” Grosskreutz is not entirely wrong, as our chronology shows.
FC Bayern Munich – Borussia Dortmund: May 25, 2013
The German Champions League final is in full swing, BVB is in the early stages of the push. Manuel Neuer saves against Robert Lewandowski, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Marco Reus. Then comes the 20th minute. Franck Ribéry in a duel with Lewandowski, the Frenchman performs a mixed movement of tearing away and hitting with his elbow – and is only admonished by referee Nicola Rizzoli.
Ex-referee Markus Merk: “Ribéry is actually still lucky. He can also draw red.” And today’s Bayern board member Oliver Kahn as ZDF-Expert: “It’s not pushing away. He’s already reaching out and hitting him in the head. There’s been red for less.”
Another point of contention in the final: Dante, who already had a yellow card, stepped in against Reus, which led to the penalty and 1-1, but not to the FCB defender being sent off.
FC Bayern Munich – Borussia Dortmund: May 11, 2014
FC Bayern is the measure of all things in the league under Pep Guardiola, but in the cup BVB acts at least on an equal footing in the final. 64 minutes: Mats Hummels heads a free kick extended by Lewandowski onto goal. Dante clears, but only behind the line. Berlin’s goal-steal is perfect, especially since referee Florian Meyer seems to have overruled his better-placed linesman. According to some observers, he had already pointed in the direction of the center line.
“Are you not serious?” BVB coach Jürgen Klopp asks a journalist who tells him about Frank Willenborg’s alleged goal signal. BVB loses the cup final after extra time with 0:2. A discussion about technical aids breaks out. On the one hand, Klopp complained that Dante had to “work at Cirque du Soleil” to clear the ball before the line, the situation was so clear for him. However, he also criticized the widespread rejection of electronic aids at the time.
However, these were not necessary in this situation. “When they play somewhere in Siberia, there are five men on the goal line. But in the cup final of the largest association in the world, none at all,” says Klopp.
FC Bayern Munich – Borussia Dortmund: May 12, 2016
Same stage, just two years later. BVB and Bayern are dueling again in Berlin for the DFB Cup. In the 39th minute, Gonzalo Castro gave Franck Ribéry one, who in turn knocked Julian Weigl over. Then there is an argument between Castro and Ribéry, as a result of which the Frenchman grabs the BVB midfielder in the face. The clear assault remains unpunished, Castro and Ribéry see yellow.
Instead of being outnumbered for 50 minutes, Bayern continue to play with eleven men and are lucky again that referee Marco Fritz does not send off Artura Vidal (49th/79th), who is begging for yellow-red, later on.
The Chilean “survived” the 120 minutes in Berlin, took the penalty to make it 1-1 in a penalty shoot-out and was able to celebrate another cup win with his teammates. Would that also have happened with Ribéry-Rot?
FC Bayern Munich – Borussia Dortmund: March 31, 2018
BVB goes under on this day in the Allianz Arena. Bayern give the black and yellow archrival six goals. From today’s point of view and despite the lack of chances in Dortmund, the first one resembles a scandal at the time.
Robert Lewandowski, who has meanwhile moved to Munich from Dortmund, is close to Thomas Müller’s pass, but clearly and clearly offside. Although the VAR now exists, Bayern’s 1-0 counts.
FC Bayern Munich – Borussia Dortmund: April 6, 2019
BVB experienced another humiliation in Munich and was clearly defeated again in 90 minutes. It’s 5:0 at the end. But even here the 1:0 through Mats Hummels wasn’t quite clean and should have been blown.
The goal scorer behaved according to the rules, but not teammate Robert Lewandowski, who clearly pushed away Dortmund’s Thomas Delaney with both hands when he crossed. There is no whistle and the VAR does not intervene either.
Borussia Dortmund – Bayern Munich: August 3, 2019
Dortmund beat FCB 2-0, but the topic of the evening is a kick by Joshua Kimmich against Jadon Sancho when he is on the touchline and the Bayern six tries to get the ball for a quick throw-in.
Kimmich then rejects any intention and, like Hasan Salihamidzic, even considers yellow to be excessive. Ex-referee Thorsten Kinhöfer classified the action as “dark red”. Understandable given the TV pictures. But by far not the last excitement.
Borussia Dortmund – Bayern Munich: May 26, 2020
On this day, FC Bayern manages to win the championship race, which is decisive. With a 1-0 win at BVB in the empty Westfalen Stadium, FCB is seven points behind, but again benefits from a VAR blackout.
Joshua Kimmich puts Bayern ahead with a wonderful lob, but BVB stays behind and has Erling Haaland equalizing in the 58th minute, but Jerome Boateng deflects the shot around the post with his upper arm not applied.
A clear and punishable handball in the sixteen, but there is no review of the action in the Cologne basement after referee Tobias Stieler did not intervene on the field. A circumstance that leaves even Gary Lineker stunned. “Penalty? VAR?” tweeted the English football legend. And BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke analyses: “You can see the intention at Boateng. That’s why it was a clear penalty.” However, BVB does not shoot large poison arrows afterwards.
FC Bayern Munich – Borussia Dortmund: March 6, 2021
FC Bayern countered BVB’s lightning start. Est is 2-2 after trailing 0-2. Although FCB are dominant, a respectable point split for Dortmund is in the offing, but then Leroy Sané Emre Can bumps into the center line in a running duel and Bayern convert the ball win 30 seconds later into Leon Goretzka making it 3-2. BVB captain Marco Reus is particularly upset afterwards.
“If this foul had been at Bayern, he would have called it one hundred percent,” said Reus skythen even followed up against Marco Fritz: “For me, the referee didn’t have balls to whistle.”
While Bayern Munich, like Thomas Müller and ex-referees like Thorsten Kinhöfer and Jochen Drees, saw no foul play by Sané on Can, those responsible for BVB around Michael Zorc and Aki Watzke spoke of an incorrect assessment of the scene by Fritz. Zorc spoke of a “wrong decision” that “decided the game”, Watzke raised a “clear foul” by Sané on Can. Zorc also spoke of a historical preference for Bavaria.
Borussia Dortmund – Bayern Munich: December 4, 2021
The top game of the 14th match day is a rollercoaster ride, it goes up and down. 53 minutes: When the score was 2: 2, Marco Reus was sent by Erling Haaland – and went down in a running duel with Lucas Hernández in the penalty area. Referee Felix Zwayer did not whistle for a penalty, and apparently there was no VAR review. It only turned out later: Haaland was offside before his pass. A penalty whistle would have been corrected by the VAR.
That doesn’t change anything about Dortmund’s outrage, coach Marco Rose sees yellow because he can’t get over it anymore. But the duel between Reus and Hernández is only the prelude to further drama.
76 minutes: Mats Hummels clears a corner kick in front of Robert Lewandowski, raises his arm slightly and touches the ball with it. After a VAR check, Zwayer gives a penalty for Bayern. 3:2 The BVB bankruptcy is sealed. BVB coach Rose is sent to the stands by Zwayer with yellow and red, then Jude Bellingham causes an uproar because in an interview after the game he refers to Zwayer’s past in the Hoyzer affair.
The DFB sentenced Bellingham to a fine of 40,000 euros. Rose speaks of the fact that the game was measured with “two different measures”. While the BVB penalty scene was not checked, the basement turned on in the hand scene.
FC Bayern Munich – Borussia Dortmund: April 23, 2022
First, Bayern’s Benjamin Pavard fouled Dortmund’s Julian Brandt and hit him on the ankle with his sole. Referee Daniel Siebert’s whistle was silent – a clear wrong decision. Siebert showed up to him the day after the game table football purified: “That was the biggest mistake in this game and I’m very annoyed about my rating of this scene,” he said. Pavard should have seen at least a yellow card.
Siebert caused even more resentment at BVB 10 minutes later: again it was Pavard who cleared Jude Bellingham in the penalty area when the score was 2-1 for Bayern. The Frenchman first hit Dortmund and then played the ball – a clear penalty. Siebert didn’t whistle again, and the VAR didn’t intervene either, despite clear slow motion. “Pavard doesn’t play the ball. Technically, it’s a random game and therefore a foul. A penalty kick would have been the right decision,” Siebert said later.
Even the experts were outraged. “To overlook that is a scandal for me,” said Stefan Effenberg double pass. Ex-Bundesliga professional Jan Age Fjörtoft said: “The blind man didn’t want to destroy Bayern’s championship party.” At sky BVB legend Roman Weidenfeller was also upset: “It started in 2013 at Wembley: Ribéry clearly has to be thrown down. Over the years, the referees have put us at a disadvantage every time, you have to clearly state that.”
