Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery has slammed the official’s decision to hand him a red card in the DFB-Pokal fixture against Augsburg in December.
The Frenchman was sent off after a clash with Koo Ja-Cheol during his side’s 2-0 victory at the SGL Arena, and he believes that the decision was undeserved.
“The red was unfair,” the 29-year-old told Kicker. “Someone else wouldn’t have received a red card [for the incident].
“Of course I fouled Koo, but I was about to apologise, then he provoked me and I fell for his game. If the referee is sending me off, he has to do the same to Koo, because he had his hand in my face as well.”
The red card means Ribery will miss the quarter-final clash against Borussia Dortmund, a major annoyance for the former Olympique de Marseille man.
“When I heard that I will be absent against Dortmund of all teams, I was very disappointed, it damped my spirit, because I didn’t say anything bad in this situation.
“A different player wouldn’t have seen red, I’m sure. But as soon as a big name comes into play, things like that happen. Now I’ll just have to deal with it and hope that we can push us through against Dortmund,” he concluded.
Bayern currently enjoy a nine-point lead over second-placed Bayer Leverkusen in Bundesliga, and will meet Greuther Furth in a Bavarian derby on January 19.