[SPOTV News=Reporter Park Dae-sung] Bayern Munich couldn't match Paris Saint-Germain's firepower and were eliminated. After the game, the club erupted over several decisions by what they called a "rookie" referee.
German outlet Bild reported on the 8th (KST) that Bayern sporting director Jan-Christian Dreesen lodged a formal complaint with UEFA over the appointment of referee João Pinheiro for the Champions League semifinal.
In an interview with Bild, Dreesen said, “He’d never refereed a semifinal. It’s astonishing that a referee with only 14 Champions League appearances on his record would be assigned to a semifinal. That’s very unusual. It might help explain some of the baffling decisions.”
Bild noted that Pinheiro did not send off Nuno Mendes for a handball in the 29th minute that should have amounted to a second yellow, and two minutes later he did not call a handball by João Neves inside the box. Those calls angered Bayern players, staff and fans.
Bild added that Pinheiro had only 14 Champions League matches under his belt before this semifinal. Among those, his most notable assignments were Club Brugge vs. Aston Villa in the Round of 16 first leg and the European Super Cup between PSG and Tottenham. Handling a high-stakes Bayern–PSG matchup would have been a heavy burden.
Former referee Manuel Graefe also said, “He’s a very inexperienced referee who has only handled 14 matches so far. This highlights UEFA’s recent struggles with officiating. For years they’ve prioritized politics and sheer fitness—‘run and run’—but now they must find referees with personality and real footballing judgment. Give them opportunities. Bayern were very, very unlucky to go out. This came down to the referee’s inexperience.”
Meanwhile, Kim Min-jae began on the bench and replaced Jonathan Tah, logging roughly 20 minutes. Bayern drew 1-1 at home but couldn’t overturn the high-scoring first-leg result and fell 5-6 on aggregate. German outlet Sport noted that Kim came on late for Tah; while he hasn’t been at his very best recently, he did not appear short on experience.
