Hoffenheim officials irate over controversial red card in 5-1 loss to Bayern Munich

Hoffenheim coach Christian Ilzer was pretty clear abut how he felt regarding the penalty and red card given to Kevin Akpoguma in the 17th minute of his team’s 5-1 loss to Bayern Munich.

“A clear wrong decision. There’s no need to discuss it, everyone saw it. There was absolutely no foul. 75,000 people in the stadium were looking forward to a top match here. I feel a bit sorry for them that it turned into this game with one player less,” Ilzer said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).

Hoffenheim sporting director Andreas Schicker was equally bitter.

“It’s a pity that a top game was taken away from the fans in the stadium and at home by referee Stieler. In my opinion it was an offensive foul by Díaz. I have no understanding for that. We saw a game where many of the people involved on the pitch on both sides showed a great performance, but one [the referee] was overwhelmed,” said Schicker.

It was a shame to see such a highly anticipated match lose its luster so early, but Hoffenheim did show a ton of heart and guts. At a minimum, the club officials can walk away knowing that (even if they felt as if they were wronged).