Bayern Munich will not be punished for having 12 men on the field in a recent Bundesliga fixture, with Freiburg failing in their bid to get a 4-1 defeat overturned.
The German Football Association (DFB) has ruled that while there was a brief mix-up late on during a double substitution from the reigning champions, the final result of the contest will still stand.
Bayern briefly had an extra man on the pitch when making changes in the 86th minute against Freiburg, with Kingsley Coman failing to make his way to the touchline before tactical tweaks were completed.
What has been said?
Freiburg lodged an official complaint to the DFB, claiming that they had grounds for appeal as an ineligible player had become involved.
Their efforts to get the game replayed or the result made null and void have been thrown out, with the match officials considered to have been the ones in the wrong, not Bayern.
Stephan Oberholz, chairman of the DFB sports court, said: “First of all, we assume that all FC Bayern players were eligible to play.
“Regardless of this, the at best slight contribution to misconduct by Bayern, which is secondary to that of the referees, is also insufficient from a point of view of proportionality to justify the serious legal consequences of a game revaluation.”
He added on the role played in the confusion by appointed match officials: “They didn't fulfil their obligation to check the number of players.
“In the end, the referee continued the match without checking the permitted number of players again.”
The bigger picture
With it confirmed that the result against Freiburg will stand, Bayern retain their nine-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga table.
They have just six games left to take in this season and have opened up a commanding advantage over second-placed Borussia Dortmund.
Another title triumph would appear to be on the cards at the Allianz Arena, with Julian Nagelsmann looking to guide his side to a 10th successive crown.
Bayern are also in the hunt for Champions League honours this season, although they have work to do in a quarter-final clash with Villarreal in that competition after suffering a shock 1-0 first leg defeat.
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