St. Pauli’s Coach Apologizes for Remarks on Referee After Painful Defeat

St. Pauli manager Alexander Blessin expressed regret for his comments directed at Bundesliga referee Florian Badstübner following a tense loss in their league match on Saturday. The Kiezkicker had a 1-0 lead against visiting Freiburg until two goals by ex-striker Igor Matanovic changed the dynamic of the game. After Matanovic made it 2-1 in the 78th minute, Blessin received a yellow card for contesting the referee’s decisions.

St. Pauli Disappointed with the Outcome

In an interview with German network DAZN after the match, Blessin lamented, “The reason we lost today was because we were playing against 12 men [including the referee].” He also remarked that he found Badstübner’s behavior, specifically smirking while issuing a yellow card, to be disrespectful. However, Blessin later retracted his comments during the press conference.

“We could have done a better job of defending against their two goals,” Blessin stated in his initial remarks. “It was indeed frustrating to see so many 50-50 situations not going our way. But let’s dig deep and accept responsibility. We could have been more solid defensively. Perhaps, similar to last week, we needed to resort to tactical fouls. Small details, some of which were not tied to officiating, altered the game. That is incredibly disheartening.”

In response to further inquiries about his interview with DAZN, Blessin admitted, “My comments made there were unwise. Honestly, they were driven by emotion. So much is on the line in these games. I fully accept the yellow card. My reaction to the smirk bothered me, but that’s no excuse.”