Kompany is fuming over a major refereeing controversy at FC Bayern

Kompany

TV pundit Michael Ballack lost his cool during the Champions League semi-final second leg between Bayern Munich and PSG. The outburst followed a highly questionable decision by the referee – and things only got worse. Vincent Kompany was also furious after two further incidents.

Bayern Munich conceded an early opener to Ousmane Dembélé in the third minute, but the German record champions soon regained their composure and started creating chances. 

In the 23rd minute, Josip Stanisic sent Harry Kane through with a fine lob. The Englishman had plenty of space and only Willian Pacho between him and the Paris goal. Yet, without the linesman raising his flag, referee Joao Pinheiro immediately ruled offside. 

Watch Bayern Munich vs PSG in the Champions League exclusively on DAZN. Subscribe to DAZN from €24.99 per month.

Ballack then lost his temper. On the one hand, Kane was almost certainly level with Nuno Mendes; on the other, the VAR could have intervened in what was potentially a match-deciding moment, had there been an offside.

"The referee blows his whistle before the assistant has even raised his flag—he simply isn't allowed to do that. That's a massive mistake. The referees should let that run. Why is he blowing the whistle? He's clean through on goal. It was tight; what happens next is another matter. But he simply mustn't blow the whistle," Ballack ranted. "That mustn't happen at this level!"

In the 29th minute, referee Pinheiro—only officiating his 15th Champions League match—was again under scrutiny: Nuno Mendes, already booked, halted a Bayern counter-attack with a clear handball. Instead of showing the Portuguese defender a second yellow card, Pinheiro controversially called an earlier handball by Laimer in the build-up. "The referee is once again interfering in this wonderful football match and changing the balance. Bayern were clearly disadvantaged here," said Sami Khedira on DAZN.

Bayern Schiri

FC Bayern appealed for a handball penalty, yet Pinheiro got the call spot-on.

However, replays suggested the Austrian had played the ball with his stomach and thigh, meaning the decision was incorrect and left FC Basel a man down for roughly 60 minutes.

Two minutes later, manager Vincent Kompany was also sent off on the touchline. Moments earlier, Vitinha had struck Joao Neves's outstretched arm from close range in the penalty area. 

Pinheiro correctly declined to award a penalty, staying within the rules. "UEFA guidelines. It must not result in a penalty if the ball is struck out of the penalty area by a teammate," said DFB head of refereeing Knut Kircher as recently as last year. According to the International Football Association Board (IFAB), if a player is hit on the hand or arm by the ball after a teammate's shot or header, it is not handball—unless the ball goes straight into the opposition's goal or the player scores from that contact, in which case the opposing team gets a direct free-kick.