“João Pinheiro, the shame of Portuguese refereeing, with the Champions League semifinal compromised by surreal decisions.”

Vincent Kompany lashes out at João Pinheiro after controversial refereeing eliminates Bayern Munich from the Champions League

The elimination of Bayern Munich at the hands of PSG in the Champions League was marked not only by the result (1-1) but especially by the fierce criticism from the Bavarian coach, Vincent Kompany, directed at Portuguese referee João Pinheiro. In a press conference filled with accusations, the coach did not hold back in denouncing what he considers to be biased officiating that was decisive for the outcome of the match.

Kompany did not hide his displeasure with the decisions made by João Pinheiro, particularly concerning two key incidents: one involving Nuno Mendes and another with João Neves. The Belgian stated categorically that the referee negatively influenced the result, accusing him of having a “hand that tilted the game.”

Regarding the yellow card shown to Nuno Mendes in the 29th minute, Kompany stated: “It’s very difficult to understand. Everyone in the stadium was expecting a different decision.” The coach emphasized that the Portuguese full-back was unfairly punished in a situation where he stopped a dangerous attack with his arm, and for that reason, a foul should have been called in favor of Bayern due to an alleged handball by Konrad Laimer, the Bayern midfielder.

With a detailed analysis of the incident, Kompany did not hold back in his criticism of the officiating: “I’ve seen three replays. Maybe they saw others? I didn’t see a single image where Konrad Laimer touched the ball with his hand. Did anyone here see different images? No? There are at least 50 people here. No one claims to have seen a different image. Well, I was ten meters away. I didn’t even have the feeling that ‘Konni’ touched the ball with his hand. It was clear that he controlled the ball with his hip.”

Furthermore, the Bayern coach raised the issue of the penalty for handball by João Neves during a shot from Vitinha, which was not awarded: “I’m not here to make excuses, but we deserved the penalty. It seemed like there was a hand that tilted the game. There was no justice in the decisions.”

These fiery remarks from Kompany come at a delicate moment for Bayern, who see their European campaign interrupted by a draw that cost them elimination, in a match marked by controversies that promise to generate intense debate in the coming weeks.

João Pinheiro, the Portuguese referee responsible for the disputed decisions, is now at the center of a storm of criticism, which is not limited to Kompany, with several experts and former players questioning his performance in the decisive Champions League match.

This episode further highlights the need for a review and improvement of refereeing criteria, especially in high-stakes matches with global visibility, where each decision can profoundly alter the fate of the teams involved.

Vincent Kompany, former Belgian international and current coach of Bayern Munich, did not hesitate to denounce what he considers a serious error by Portuguese refereeing, putting João Pinheiro under intense scrutiny and fueling the controversy surrounding one of the most important matches of the European season.

This article first appeared on Apito Final.