Confirmed: Freiburg file appeal on Bayern substitution error
Bundesliga club SC Freiburg officially confirmed its appeal of the result against FC Bayern München over the weekend on Monday evening.
In a very carefully worded legal statement, the club said it felt duty-bound to "create an opportunity to evaluate and answer the questions posed here in terms of sporting rules."
SC Freiburg will take advantage of the opportunity to appeal Saturday's loss to FC Bayern München after a substitution error saw the league-leaders play with 12 men on the pitch for 17 seconds. This was confirmed on Monday evening by a statement released by the club.
In a very carefully worded legal statement, the club said it felt duty-bound to "create an opportunity to evaluate and answer the questions posed here in terms of sporting rules."
It should be noted that Freiburg stopped short of specifically requesting that the result be reversed. With the club's stellar reputation for fair play on the line, the club chose its words very carefully. The statement released merely asked for legal clarification as a matter of setting precedent.
The club did its utmost to emphasize that the decision to file an appeal was only made after "extensive discussions" and "an exhaustive legal review". The ultimate choice to file the appeal, according to the club, related to the need to seek legal precedent.
"[We wish to give the DFB sports court] an opportunity to evaluate and answer the questions posed here in terms of sporting rules," the statement reads, "for the creation of future legal certainty in comparable case with other clubs as well."
The club took special care to stress that it felt uncomfortable in filing the appeal.
"We are in a dilemma through no fault of our own," the statement continues, "The legal and procedural rules of the DFB force us into an active role in order to have the events legally reviewed."
"We have no interest in this active role," statement underscores, "procedure has forced this to fallen to us against our will and we are not pleased about it."
Freiburg's appeal differs greatly from the one filed by SC Preußen Münster earlier in the season. A Wolfsburg substitution error in the opening round of the 2021/22 DFB Pokal led to a direct appeal seeking the overturn of the result. The DFB rules committee ultimately ruled in favor of the fourth-tier club and threw Wolfsburg out of the Pokal.
Match official Christian Dingert was actually the referee in charge of both matches. The DFB made clear on Monday that there would be no consequences for him.
While it remains far too early to anticipate how the DFB sports court will rule, Freiburg's strained request for legal clarity essentially invites the court to impose something other than a result reversal on Bayern; possibly financial sanction or a goal differential deduction.
Stellungnahme des Sport-Club Freiburg e.V. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/bpgKj9hQVV
— SC Freiburg (@scfreiburg) April 4, 2022