Bo Svensson looked up, dumbfounded.
When referee Frank Willenborg gave him the yellow card shortly before the end of the game, the coach of FSV Mainz 05 no longer understood the world.
"For what?" asked the Dane, irritated, and protested his innocence after the 1-0 (0-0) win against VfL Bochum: "There was a misunderstanding." But one with consequences.
Because for Svensson it was already the fourth warning this season.
He is the first Bundesliga coach with a yellow card suspension since this option was introduced in 2019/20, so he will miss the upcoming league game on Saturday (3.30 p.m./ in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on Sky) at SpVgg Greuther Fürth.
In the 2nd league there had already been yellow card suspensions against coaches.
"It's my responsibility, it's not ideal, that's clear.
I didn't think too much about it," said Svensson, but also noted that the yellow card was "a little strange": "It's a shame, but the joy of the win outweighs it."
The suspension should not have any effect on the game in Fürth anyway.
"I found it unnecessary to give yellow cards directly.
Of course it's annoying," said FSV goalkeeper Robin Zentner.
However, the team still knows what the coach expects “and what we have to deliver on the pitch”.
Assistant coach Babak Keyhanfar takes charge in the next league game.
After all: In the team circle, Svensson will probably get away with it.
After the question of whether there was a penalty for the team fund for this offense, Zentner laughed and made it clear: "No!"