After 1. FC Nuremberg’s first win of the season, referee Nicolas Winter commented on the exciting scene of the game and admitted that he had made a wrong decision. The Franconians won their first home game of the new season 3-1 against their friends from Gelsenkirchen, but also benefited from the unjustified yellow-red card for Schalke’s Ron Schallenberg. For around 20 minutes, FCN played with a numerical advantage and used the time to turn the game around and improve their poor record against the team from the Ruhr region.

Compared to the Picture Winter said he had seen the pictures of the scene after the game and would not send Schallenberg off the pitch. He could understand the Schalke players’ anger over the decision. “I had no doubts about my decision on the pitch, I was convinced of it,” explained the referee. “Even Schalke coach Karel Geraerts came to me at half-time and said his first impression was a yellow-red card,” the referee continued.

FCN coach Klose praises team after home win

“The yellow-red card against Schallenberg resulted from the referee noticing a foul worthy of a warning at the real speed of the game,” said Alex Feuerherdt, Head of Communications and Media Relations at the DFB, to the WAZ. “However, looking at the TV images, this assessment cannot be upheld; there should not have been a sending off here,” he admits.

Shortly before half-time, there was a duel between Schalke’s Ron Schallenberg, who had already received a yellow card, and Nuremberg’s Caspar Jander, who had also been cautioned, in which both fell to the ground. Schallenberg received a yellow-red card for this, even though Jander had stepped on his foot. For Schalke coach Karel Geraerts, the wrong decision was “the game changer”. S04 sports director Marc Wilmots fumed: “We lost three points because of it.” The club announced that it would appeal against Schallenberg’s suspension.

FCN coach Klose admitted: “It’s easier against ten men.” But even after the sending off of FCN goal scorer Jander, who also saw a yellow-red card and thus made it ten against ten in the last 23 minutes, club coach Klose continued to see “a lot of good things” such as breakthroughs on the wings, precise crosses, good positioning in the penalty area. The body language was right. “The head was up,” praised Klose: “The boys believed in it, that’s nice.”

Spirit of optimism preserved at FCN

With the victory, the Franconians have corrected the botched start to the season in Karlsruhe (2:3) and preserved the spirit of optimism around the club that Klose initiated. “The victory must help,” said the 46-year-old. ami/with dpa