Exactly one month ago today, on November 4th, Paris Saint-Germain hosted Bayern Munich for Matchday 4 of the Champions League group stage . It was a blockbuster encounter between the reigning champions and a German side that was, until then, undefeated. The Rekordmeister were able to rely on the talents of their new signing, Luis Diaz, a player Luis Enrique and Luis Campos had always wanted to bring to Paris. But the Colombian, who left Liverpool for Bavaria, took a different path. In the French capital, we saw the best of Luis Diaz, who scored a quickfire brace, but also the worst, with his nasty tackle from behind on Achraf Hakimi.
Left on the ground, the Moroccan player left the pitch in tears, helped by members of the staff. Both PSG and Morocco quickly feared the worst for the right-back. He is suffering from a severe sprain that could well jeopardize his participation in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations. At Bayern Munich, the reactions were rather surprising after the 2-1 victory and the sending-off of Luis Diaz, who injured Hakimi. Josip Stanicic remarked: "He knows himself that he needs to be smarter in these kinds of situations. Did he apologize to the team? No, he didn't. We thanked him (laughs). Just kidding! He was happy. Like all of us."
A brutal tackle on Achraf Hakimi
Manuel Neuer also downplayed his teammate's aggression. "I was told it wasn't a particularly harsh foul, not one that warranted a red card. I don't know if it was excessively severe, we'll have to see." And what about the reaction of sporting director Max Eberl? "Luis Diaz was the first to enter the dressing room and high-fived every player. That perfectly illustrates team spirit. He knows he's grateful to the team, but reciprocally, the team is also grateful to him for scoring two goals." Criticized by the press and by PSG fans on social media, the Colombian finally broke his silence a little later.
“It was an emotional night. Football always reminds us that in 90 minutes, anything can happen, the best and the worst. I was sad not to finish the match with my teammates, but proud of their incredible effort. I wish Hakimi a speedy return to the pitch.” But the story didn't end there. On November 21, Bild reported that UEFA had suspended Luis Diaz for three matches for his actions. Following this, Bayern Munich asked the governing body of European football to justify its decision in order to appeal. Indeed, the Bavarians had expected a less severe sanction, as Vincent Kompany admitted to the press.
Bayern Munich had expected a lenient punishment.
“We all followed the situation and thought it would only be a one-match suspension. But opinions were divided.” Like the coach, the club's management is furious about this decision, which they consider unjust. CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen commented: “It surprised us as much as everyone else. We absolutely didn't expect it. (…) It was clearly a serious foul, but it wasn't an act of violence, nor was it directed against the referee, and there were no further infractions after the foul. Such behavior has already resulted in three-match suspensions. (…) We'll see if we can get the sanction reduced. Let's be realistic, we only win in rare cases.”
Sporting director Max Eberl has asked for more leniency. "I'm not naive enough to believe it will only be a one-match ban. If we got one less match, that would already be fantastic. It was a foul. Two matches for a single foul is already a fair and appropriate punishment in my opinion." But Bayern's communication strategy doesn't seem to be paying off at the moment. This Thursday, Sport1 made new revelations on the matter. The German publication claims that Bayern Munich has received no news from UEFA regarding its appeal, for which the club had to wait for the governing body's written report before being able to submit its appeal request.
The Germans are furious with UEFA
This has caused delays. The Munich club is starting to lose serious patience. Especially since the club, which already had to do without its winger during the 3-1 defeat against Arsenal, will face Sporting CP on Tuesday at 6:45 PM and then Union Saint-Gilloise on January 21st. Bayern Munich, which believes that UEFA took too long to make its initial decision (nearly three weeks to announce the suspension), would like a decision quickly. According to Sport1 , the club's management is perplexed and impatience is growing . There's even talk of anger and irritation. Lukas Hörster, a journalist for Fussball Transfers , shares this opinion, as he told us.
“Personally, I find it excessive. Even though I understand the reasons for the red card, in my opinion, a yellow card (without VAR intervention) would have been enough. Diaz tried to tackle the ball, and Hakimi tripped, causing a terrible accident. But he obviously took too many risks with that tackle. So the red card is justified. But a three-match suspension is far too much.” The sentiment is certainly different in Paris, where they will have to do without the 2025 African Player of the Year for weeks. Vincent Kompany, for his part, will not be able to count on Luis Diaz in the Champions League. It must be said that with the Colombian, Bayern Munich presents an even more attractive image. The footballer, bought for €75 million this summer, has already scored 12 goals and provided 6 assists in 20 appearances across all competitions.
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