UEFA aren’t messing around when it comes to coaching suspensions.
Vincent Kompany has been banned from the first leg of Bayern Munich’s Champions League semi-final against PSG, and to say the regulations are strict is an understatement.
The Belgian picked up his third yellow of the campaign during the quarter-final win over Real Madrid and now won’t be allowed to lead his team in the away leg in Paris.
We’re used to league matches being business as usual for coaching suspensions, with managers even on the phone to the touchline while in the stands.
However, for UEFA there’s been a huge crackdown, as BILD claim to have found out.
Kompany’s Bayern ban explained
They report that once the Bayern bus arrives at the Parc des Princes, Kompany will have that as his final chance to speak to his players before they’re separated.
He will then now be allowed to either enter the dressing room, nor the tunnel, heading straight to a VIP box to observe the match.
Article 69 of UEFA’s Disciplinary Regulations states: “A manager/coach suspended from his duties may not enter the dressing room or the tunnel before or during the match.”
And unlike what he see in many league games, Kompany won’t be allowed any form of communication with the team.
Article 69 also states: “A manager/coach who has been sent off or suspended from his duties may not […] communicate directly or indirectly with the players of the team and/or with the technical staff during the match.”
Giving his reaction to the card which came for protesting a Kylian Mbappe goal, Kompany said: “I don’t think this decision is fair.
“You only have to look at what’s happening on the pitch, the number of people complaining and saying things.
“I always try to remain respectful, and I have been. But everything happened so fast, and now I’m suspended.
“I think it’s normal, at this stage, that I react. The yellow card came far too quickly for my liking; I was surprised.
“I think there are a lot of extra matches with this new Champions League format, and yet it’s so strict.”
Bayern will instead be led by assistant Aaron Danks, but Kompany still took his pre-match interview despite not being obliged to due to the suspension.
There were similar scenes when Jose Mourinho was suspended for the second leg of Benfica’s Champions League play-off with Real Madrid.
Mourinho conveniently avoided pre-match duties amid a storm over comments he made regarding Gianluca Prestianni‘s alleged abuse of Vinicius Jr.
He then didn’t turn up to a VIP box prepared at the Bernabeu, later revealing that he in fact stayed on the team bus after being separated from his team and watched the match on a tablet.
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