Mainz delegates reflect on Kohr’s unwanted record

Dominik Kohr was the subject of discussion after Mainz’s draw at home against Hoffenheim.

Mainz played one of their best halves of the season to snatch a point against an in-form Hoffenheim side on Friday. However, Dominik Kohr stole the headlines from the team’s performance after a Bundesliga record ninth sending off.

“It was quite clearly a red card,” said Nadiem Amiri about Kohr’s challenge on the Germany U20 international Max Moerstedt. The 31-year-old all-rounder was also sent off earlier this season with two bookable offenses against Augsburg.

“It was not a smart move as he is a key player for us,” continued Amiri as he showed his frustration over a teammate. Amiri will also be unavailable for next weekend’s trip to Freiburg after his fifth yellow card of the season. Mainz’s surprising goal scorer also accepted the referee’s decision, but he defended Kohr’s motives in a post-match interview.

“There is not much to discuss. It was not his intention to hurt the player,” said Danny da Costa, who scored a Bundesliga goal after a six-year wait. “He was trying to prevent the pass. However, he did hit him above the ankle area. The red card is a correct decision.”

Luckily for Kohr, Mainz’s coach Bo Henriksen preferred not to complicate things further in front of the media. “I didn’t see it. But, everyone says it wasn’t smart. I have to talk to Dominik (Kohr).” said the Danish coach.

Moerstedt avoided a serious injury, but Christian Ilzer has confirmed that the foul left a quite visible bruise. “I haven’t seen such a bad foul in a long time.” said Hoffenheim’s coach.