Bayern Munich’s sporting director, Max Eberl, confirmed that referee Simon Marciniak admitted to him that he and his assistant made a mistake in Bayern’s canceled goal against Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals.
While the score was 2-1 for Real Madrid, Bayern scored a goal at the last minute, but the referee canceled it due to offside and did not return to the video technology because the assistant raised his flag early, which led to the whistle being blown early as well, leaving no room for the video referee to review the ball.
Some footage showed that the Bayern player was not in an offside position, and if Marciniak had not blown his whistle early, the goal would have been awarded.
Speaking to the press after the match, Eberl said that the referee apologized for the mistake and admitted it, while Bavarian defender Matthijs de Ligt confirmed that the assistant also apologized for the mistake.
“I don’t want to say that the referees are always on Real Madrid’s side, but this clearly made the difference today,” the Dutchman said.
He also added, “The assistant referee told me: Sorry, I made a mistake. Truly, what happened was shameful and prevented us from returning to the match.”
As for Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel, he was angry and said, “What happened was a disaster. The legal rule is clear that the game should continue, as happened in Real Madrid’s second goal. What happened was a clear violation of the law.”
He concluded, “The referee apologized? Okay, but that doesn’t help much!”
