Germany defender Antonio Rudiger could face disciplinary action after he appeared to bite France midfielder Paul Pogba during Tuesday night’s Euro 2020 Group F fixture.
Pogba was an integral figure in the French attack for their Munich encounter and played a crucial role in their opening goal, with the Manchester United star laying on a beautiful cross-field kick using the outside of his boot to team-mate Theo Hernandez, whose first-time ball into the box was diverted into the net by Germany defender Mats Hummels in the 19th minute.
However, moments later Pogba appeared incensed as he confronted the assistant referee after being flagged for offside – a reaction that appeared over the top given he was clearly beyond the last defender.
But it soon emerged that his complaints were directed towards an incident that was not initially spotted by either the team of officials or television cameras.
What happened?
With Rudiger marking Pogba, the German defender was seen grappling with his French opponent while neither had possession of the ball.
Chelsea centre-half Rudiger then appeared to direct an apparent bite towards Pogba’s back, before wrapping his arms around him and grabbing him by the chest.
As the incident was not seen by either the referee or by the Video Assistant Referee (Var), it was not reviewed for any action against Rudiger.
What people said
Patrick Vieira: “When you see Pogba’s reaction, it felt like a bite. I don’t see what Rudiger was doing there.”
Roy Keane: “It was more of a nibble than a bite.”
What are the possible consequences?
If Uefa believe Rudiger has a case to be answered, he could face a lengthy ban that could end his Euro 2020 campaign.
A similar incident happened at the 2014 World Cup when Uruguay striker Luis Suarez aimed a bite at the shoulder of Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini.
Suarez was given a four-month ban after he was found guilty of biting him following a Fifa investigation, although it was the third time that he had been found to have bitten an opponent. Suarez was also fined 100,000 Swiss francs (£65,680) for his actions, along with a nine-match international ban that continued after he returned to football.
Protester parachutes onto field at France vs Germany
by Ben Rumsby
Earlier in the evening, disaster almost struck the match between France and Germany after a protester parachuted onto the field as the game was about to begin.
The invader, who had “Kick out oil Greenpeace” written on his chute, narrowly avoided crashing into spectators in Munich after appearing to hit the spider-cam and losing control.
Germany’s Antonio Rudiger, the Chelsea defender, seemed to check the protester was okay upon landing before security intervened.
The invader was then given medical attention and the game was able to begin on schedule.
The incident was the second time Euro 2020 narrowly avoided tragedy after Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest on the field while playing for Denmark on Saturday.
