Olise suspended for Bayern-Arsenal clash after stupid red card against Viking

Michael Olise will miss the Champions League clash against Arsenal after his red card in Bayern Munich’s 3-3 draw with FC Viking on Thursday evening in Norway. The French international received a second yellow card for throwing the ball at opposing captain Zlatko Tripic’s face, in front of Bulgarian referee Georgi Kabakov.

Bayern had done the hard work: having overturned a 2-0 deficit to lead 3-2, victory seemed within reach. But reduced to ten men following Olise’s dismissal, the Bavarians crumbled in added time. An attack led by Tripic himself allowed Herman Haugen to equalize and deny Munich the three points that were slipping through their fingers.

In the mixed zone, the disappointment of Bayern’s senior players was barely concealed. Harry Kane, who scored twice, gave his teammate a frank dressing down: “The red card changes everything. He has to take responsibility and learn from his mistake. It’s a shame, because an important Champions League match is coming up soon. He’ll be disappointed to miss it too. That’s football, sometimes, and mistakes happen.”

Defender Konrad Laimer also lamented the loss of composure: “We let ourselves be provoked in that situation, and it obviously didn’t help us. Even though we played better with ten men.” Already cautioned for a foul on Henrik Heggheim, Olise fell into the trap set by Tripic at the worst possible moment.

Manager Vincent Kompany called the gesture “a huge mistake” while trying to put it in perspective. He acknowledged that Tripic had been “smarter” in the moment, before expressing hope that the incident would serve as a crash course for his 23-year-old attacker. “You can see in his eyes that he regrets his gesture. But these things happen. It’s not a final, but these moments are crucial in a season. I hope we can learn lessons from it,” he said.

With 29 caps and 11 goals for France, Olise had established himself as one of Bayern’s major attacking assets this season. His absence for the Gunners’ visit represents a significant blow in the race for qualification, and the price of a moment of madness that his teammates are struggling to digest.