Wolfsburg’s struggles intensified following their 6-3 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, extending their Bundesliga winless streak to 11 matches. Despite establishing a 3-1 lead against the favored hosts on matchday 28, the German side conceded five unanswered goals, ultimately collapsing to a significant loss.
In the aftermath, newly appointed Wolfsburg head coach Dieter Hecking vehemently criticized referee Martin Petersen and the Bundesliga VAR team. While initially listing the officiating as the “third reason” for the defeat in an interview, Hecking expressed his frustration more openly at the subsequent press conference.
Wolfsburg Coach Dieter Hecking Criticizes Officiating
“The referee’s performance today simply wasn’t up to Bundesliga standards,” Hecking stated. “The penalty [leading to the 1-1] was awarded despite being soft, and he initially allowed play to continue on our penalty [for the 1-3].”
Hecking continued, “Then there was an elbow check by Tapsoba, for which he should have been sent off with a yellow-red card. Incidentally, that player then scored the 4-3. Additionally, before the 4-3 goal, a Leverkusen player clearly rammed [Denis] Vavro, but this went unpenalized by VAR.”
Reiterating the Tapsoba incident, Hecking concluded, “A player remained on the field who should have been dismissed when the score was 1-3. That’s a significant part of this game’s narrative. We believe we were poorly officiated in three or four key situations today.”
Hecking further elaborated in his opening statement at the press conference, “We received another penalty against us [for the 3-3] in the 53rd minute. Then there was a corner that perhaps shouldn’t have been awarded, leading directly to the 4-3 goal.”
“Before the questions begin, I want to address the refereeing,” Hecking asserted. “Far be it from me to suggest that officiating alone caused us to concede six goals, but the performance today was abysmal. We felt unfairly punished today.”
Responding to a follow-up question, Hecking emphasized, “You have to consider what was at stake today and how the refereeing affected the players. A coach must focus on what he can control, and I’ll be the first to admit that we cannot concede six goals.”
“Think about how differently the match could have played out, given Wolfsburg’s current situation,” Hecking reflected. “Martin Petersen will likely call a better game next week. Our team is alive and was well-positioned to win this match today, but they were significantly thrown off course.”
Hecking concluded, “Next week, I hope we defend better, and I hope Martin Petersen has a better match.”
