Michael Olise’s ejection during the 3-3 draw against Viking Stavanger continues to be a topic of discussion at FC Bayern. The Frenchman lost his temper after being provoked and threw the ball at his opponent’s face. Former referee Urs Meier sees a familiar pattern in this and draws a striking comparison with Bayern legend Franck Ribéry.
In an interview with ran, the former Swiss FIFA referee analyzed the controversial scenes from the Champions League match. Olise’s behavior, in particular, reminded the 67-year-old of former Bayern star Ribéry.
“You always had to protect Ribéry from himself in games like that. He usually kept himself in check against top teams, but often felt provoked against smaller clubs,” Meier explained.
Meier sees parallels between Olise and Ribéry
For the former referee, the similarities between the two attacking maestros are obvious. “And I had the same feeling with Olise. The fact that he still had the ball in his hand after receiving the yellow card was already a red flag for me,” Meier emphasized.
In fact, Olise had already been shown a yellow card before he threw the ball in the face of Viking captain Zlatko Tripic and was sent off with a second yellow.
Meier considers this decision justifiable. At the same time, he suggested that experienced referees can recognize such escalations early on and possibly prevent them.
Former Referee Also Criticizes Kabakov
Olise wasn’t the only one to face criticism from Meier. In his view, Bulgarian referee Georgi Kabakov also failed to officiate the match optimally.
The Swiss referee particularly criticized Kabakov for failing to consistently put a stop to Tripic’s “dirty play” and repeated provocations. Meier sees this as a key difference between average referees and top-tier referees.
In addition, the former FIFA referee took a closer look at another incident. Bayern’s new signing, Ismael Saibari, struck Tripic on the upper arm with a high leg in the 68th minute.
“Saibari got off lightly with a yellow card. If he had struck his opponent even slightly differently, it would have been a clear red card. He got lucky there,” Meier explained.
For Olise, the yellow-red card remains particularly bitter. As a result, the Frenchman will miss Munich’s upcoming Champions League match against Arsenal.
The comparison to Ribéry also highlights what Olise still needs to work on: His extraordinary soccer skills are beyond question. In the future, however, it will also be crucial for him to maintain control, even in the face of deliberate provocations.