'It's madness!' - Raging Vincent Kompany demands explanation for Luis Diaz sending off as nine-man Bayern Munich draw with Bayer Leverkusen

It was a rollercoaster afternoon for Diaz, who had climbed from the bench to cancel out Leverkusen's lead in the 69th minute. His goal helped salvage a point for a Bayern side that had been struggling since Jackson's undisputed red card in the first half. However, the match turned sour when the referee reached for his pocket in the 84th minute, accusing Diaz of simulation despite the slight contact with the goalkeeper's leg as the winger tried to round him.

The draw keeps Bayern in the hunt at the top of the table, but the fallout from the officiating is set to rumble on. With Jackson and Diaz both now facing suspensions, Kompany will have to shuffle his pack for the upcoming fixtures while the club continues to digest a controversial afternoon in North Rhine-Westphalia.

"The worst thing is Lucho Díaz! Why he gets the yellow-red card, nobody in the stadium knows today. It's madness," Kompany told DAZN after the final whistle. The Belgian tactician was perplexed by the officiating, especially given that Diaz did not appear to appeal for a penalty after the contact occurred. The winger had been on a yellow card since the 74th minute following a high-boot incident.

Kompany continued to demand answers regarding the logic behind the second booking, which will see the Colombian suspended for the next match. "That hurts, of course. He is suspended for the next game. Someone has to explain to me why that is a yellow in this phase," he added. The manager's disbelief was echoed by his players, who felt the referee had misread the intent of the attacker in a high-pressure moment of the game.

Bayern sporting director Max Eberl provided a stunning update following the game, claiming that referee Christian Dingert admitted his mistake after reviewing the footage. "I just spoke with Mr. Dingert. Everything is fine, it was a good dialogue. He also said that it was not a yellow-red card," Eberl revealed. However, the admission offered little comfort to the Bayern hierarchy given the impact the decision had on the match's conclusion.

Eberl acknowledged the official's honesty but highlighted the futility of the correction after the fact. "For him, it was a clear dive during the game, but he has seen the images now and said that it was not a yellow-red card. Very honorable, but it didn't help us at all," the director explained. Because the incident involved a second yellow card rather than a straight red, VAR was unable to intervene and overturn the on-field decision according to current protocols.

The Bayern dressing room was united in their defence of Diaz, with many pointing out that the player attempted to stay on his feet. Jonathan Tah noted the lack of "theatre" from his teammate, saying: "He gets straight back up. Yes, he falls down. He is even touched a little bit. But he gets straight back up. He doesn't make a scene, doesn't put on a show. And that's why I wonder why they give a dive there, reacting as if he had made a show out of it."

Fellow defender Josip Stanisic also felt the punishment was overly harsh given that contact was clearly made by Blaswich. "He knows that he already has a yellow, and then to go straight for yellow and give yellow-red I find harsh, especially because he hits him. If it's a completely clear dive, I would also say: you must never do it like that, but he hits him and you can see that," he commented. Midfield anchor Joshua Kimmich was even more blunt, stating the incident was "not in a lifetime" a dive.