Lothar Matthaus has laid into Michael Olise after the Bayern Munich star's red card in the 3-3 Champions League draw with Norwegian side Viking.
Never before sent off in his career, the Frenchman saw red against the Norwegians after a foul in the 74th minute, then threw the ball into the face of opposing captain Zlatko Tripic, having been provoked by him.
Viking made the extra man count. They snatched the draw in the 90th minute.
"This is unacceptable, even if the referee did not see it," Matthaus told "Bild".
Germany's most-capped player of all time knows full well that opponents go after an influential talent like Olise with physical contact and provocation. He reckons the Frenchman still has to learn how to deal with it.
"Of course, they try to take a player like that out of the game by every possible means," the former Bayern man explained.
He wouldn't blame Tripic for any of it, though, and left no doubt about where he stands on the French winger: "I maintain that Olise allowed himself to be provoked."
What irked Matthaus most were the consequences. "In the end, he did not only hurt himself, he harmed the team above all else."
A fine, though? Matthaus sees no need for one. He views the whole episode as a chance for Olise to grow up: "It is a learning process that any young player has to go through, and Olise has been punished enough, and he is aware of his mistake.