First, substitute Immanuel Pherai receives a lightning-fast red card. The Hamburg player entered the field in the 77th minute, received his first yellow card in the 78th minute, and his second in the 79th. This is a Bundesliga record for the fastest yellow card shown in a single match.
Just four minutes later, Fabio Vieira received his second yellow card (83rd minute) and was sent off. This incident caused great frustration after the final whistle, as it appeared that Vieira had been sent off for repeatedly arguing with referee Daniel Schlager (35th minute).
HSV captain Yussuf Poulsen spoke about the post-match scene in an interview with DAZN, and he was visibly upset.
Poulsen: “We were unfairly shown two red cards. Especially the second one; you have to be careful. We have a rule that prohibits speaking to the referee to protect him. But when the referee breaks the rules… Fabio (Vieira, editor’s note) tells him that Schwäbe is wasting time. I have to watch my words because I get very emotional.”
The captain continued: “The rule is there to protect the referee. It’s not that we can’t speak to him. The second yellow-red card shouldn’t have happened; you can speak to the referee, you can point out that Cologne is wasting time. That bothers me a bit.”
Which rule is Poulsen referring to?
Since the start of the 2024/2025 season, only team captains have been allowed to speak to the referee in the Bundesliga. UEFA successfully implemented this new rule during Euro 2024 to prevent harassment and arguments with the referee.
Referee Schlager explained the yellow-red card he showed Vieira after the match on DAZN: “I told him I wasn’t going to tolerate that kind of behavior. I also spoke to the captain and, at halftime, to the HSV coach, pointing out his attitude. But it didn’t stop after the break. It got to the point where I lost my patience. Then he asked Schwäbe to waste time. That was too much for me, so I showed him the second yellow card.”
