Christoph Freund defends Bayern's criticism of Leverkusen refereeing

Sporting director Christoph Freund defended FC Bayern Munich's reaction after the 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen, saying: "There were a lot of emotions and a lot of controversial decisions in Leverkusen. We were frustrated and made that clear. That’s our right; other teams do the same.

FC Bayern will continue to stand up for what we believe in. As FC Bayern, we will always speak our minds and won’t let anyone silence us." Two incidents in particular angered Bayern players: the yellow-red card shown to Luis Diaz following an alleged dive in the penalty area, and Harry Kane’s goal being disallowed for handball.

Honorary President Uli Hoeneß described the officials’ performance as "the worst performance by a refereeing team I have ever seen in a Bundesliga match". Union Berlin managing director Horst Heldt defended the referees and warned: "They don't have it easy. Because, of course, every situation is scrutinised and monitored very closely.

bayern munich, bayer leverkusen, christoph freund, refereeing controversy, bundesliga, harry kane, luis diaz, uli hoeneß, horst heldt, handball