The Daily Bee: Deniz Aytekin Explains Controversial Decision

Good morning, everyone.

Fun fact: the four sports teams that I follow that are currently playing are Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham Hotspur, the New York Mets, and the New York Jets, albeit very casually. Since last Monday, these four teams have combined for eight losses and one win, that being Spurs beating Wolverhampton in the EFL Cup on penalties. So you could say the last week has not been a good one sports-wise.

Dortmund’s defeat against Mönchengladbach this weekend was made all the more frustrating by referee Deniz Aytekin’s questionable decision to award Mahmoud Dahoud a second yellow card following his fould on Gladbach right back Joseph Scally. It was a little confusing at the time, but thankfully Aytekin went to the media to explain his decision after the game.

According to Aytekin, it was not the foul on the play but Dahoud’s indignant response that drew the yellow card. He had warned Raphael Guerreiro a few minutes later about complaining about calls, so he felt he had to show the card to Dahoud when it was clear to him that BVB’s players needed to heed his warning.

Many commentators, too, have come to believe that Aytekin would not have shown the card if he had realized that Dahoud was on a yellow card. Unfortunately, he did, and BVB suffered as a result.

Puma-Gate Marches On

I never thought that a story about a shirt would get me so much mileage, but here we are. It never ends. PUMA and BVB have announced that for Dortmund’s next Champions League appearance, the club will sport the controversial kit, but with a black-and-yellow logo emblazoned on the front, instead of the usual transparent logo that might as well not even be there.

Puma seems to be missing the fanbase’s primary concern, that the entire design sucks, but I suppose this is a positive change.

The Daily Buzz

What’s the worst refereeing decision you’ve been on the receiving end of?