Julian Nagelsmann’s criticism of the referees continues to cause a stir. The head of the German referees finds clear words.

DFB referee chief Lutz Michael Fröhlich has sharply criticised Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann’s behaviour after Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at Borussia Mönchengladbach. “I find it abysmally disrespectful to use the term “pack”, no matter what perspective you take on a situation. That’s where the understanding on the referee’s side comes to an end,” Fröhlich told Sport1.

After the final whistle of Saturday’s match, Nagelsmann had strongly criticised referee Tobias Welz for the early red card against Munich’s Dayot Upamecano. The Bayern coach admitted in an interview with ZDF that he had used the expression “soft-headed bunch”: “Yes, but I don’t always mean the referees. The 35-year-old later apologised on social media for his choice of words, which he said had gone too far. The control committee of the German Football Association has since opened an investigation against Nagelsmann.

“It’s not about punishment, that’s not my issue. It’s about much more: how do you deal with different perspectives and opinions? And how do you deal with decisions that do not meet your own expectations? Where does that lead if it always leads to major headlines and conflicts?” added Fröhlich and had some advice for Nagelsmann: “Just take a breath, pause and don’t always use the public stage to present yourself and your perspective as the only right one. “