Key Takeaways
- Manuel Gräfe believes the VAR team made the main error by intervening in the penalty incident.
- The former referee argues the on-field official’s original decision was not clearly wrong.
- Gräfe hopes the controversial spot-kick does not decide the outcome of the two-legged tie.
Former Bundesliga referee Manuel Gräfe has strongly criticised the Video Assistant Referee team following Bayern Munich’s 5-4 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. The controversy centred on a penalty awarded against Bayern defender Alphonso Davies during the clash.
Gräfe, who is 52 years old, believes the fault lies mainly with the officials in the VAR room. He stated that referee Sandro Schärer did not make a clear mistake when he initially allowed play to continue. Because the on-field decision was not obviously incorrect, Gräfe argues that the VAR team should not have recommended a review.
“For me, the biggest mistake comes from the VAR team,” Gräfe explained. “The referee’s decision to play on was not crystal-clear wrong. Therefore, the intervention was incorrect. Of course, Schärer carries some responsibility as the match referee.”
Despite his criticism of the Davies incident, the former official praised the refereeing team for other decisions during the fixture. He highlighted a moment when play correctly continued after a cross struck midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic on the hand while it was close to his body.
Gräfe expressed concern that the penalty decision could prove costly for the German club. He described the situation as painful and hopes the controversial goal does not determine which team advances to the next round of the competition.