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After the World Cup host Germany's victory over Argentina in the quarterfinals penalty shootout, representatives of both teams got involved in a brawl.
Former Germany international striker Oliver Bierhoff, who now works as a team manager, found himself in the midst of the incident, which also involved FIFA officials and referee Lubos Michel, who showed a red card to defender Leandro Cufre, who was not involved in the match. In the chaotic scene, which lasted about a minute and a half, both sides exchanged blows and punches.
"The fans have already shown that they can get along with each other, and we as athletes should do the same. It is unfortunate that such scenes are visible worldwide during the quarterfinals," regretted O. Bierhoff.
According to O. Bierhoff, he intervened when L. Cufre tackled German defender Per Mertesacker and left him lying on the ground. The incident is believed to have started when goalkeeper Tim Borowski, after saving the fourth penalty of his team, gestured to the opponents to be quiet, and at the end of the penalty shootout, Argentine Fabricio Coloccini approached German striker Oliver Neuville. The players clashed and the brief scuffle was interrupted.
Germany's national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann justified the incident by the tension of his team's dramatic victory: "I would like to remind people that there is so much tension in football, so many emotions, and if it reaches the penalty shootout, people may lose control. Football is so emotional. It's just normal, and there is absolutely no problem."
His colleague in the Argentina national team, Jose Pekerman, agreed: "Sometimes emotions run wild during matches and it's not what we feel. Germany and we have a lot of respect for each other, and what we saw was just an isolated incident."
