The controversy that makes Barça the favorite

Munich"There is no intent. Salma has very long hair, there might be a desire to stretch the shirt on Kett's part, but when the hair is long, you can stretch it a bit unintentionally. The red card is too much," said José Barcala, coach of Bayern Munich, after the match. Barça drew one all at the Allianz Arena and will play for the Champions League final next Sunday (4:30 p.m.) at Camp Nou.

"The Champions League is so emotional that, at times, it's decided by details. These matches with so many emotions, a small refereeing decision can condition the whole match. You have to keep a cool head," commented Pere Romeu in the pre-match. A detail that arrived in the 79th minute when Franziska Kett – author of the equalizer goal – pulled Salma Paralluelo's hair, as the Aragonese player was running down the right wing. The referee, Croatian Ivana Martincic, punished the action with a red card.

A decision that greatly angered José Barcala – who saw the action in person a few meters away – and he received a red card for protesting. "It's unfair, I am a coach who never addresses the referees. I can understand a yellow card, but not a red one," stated the Galician coach, who will not be able to sit on the Camp Nou bench.

"If she pulls your hair, she's a red. There's nothing more to say", "rules are rules and, for me, she's a red", Irene Paredes and Cata Coll stated in the mixed zone. The Blaugranas limited themselves to reproducing what the regulations say.

What do the regulations say?

In football, pulling someone's hair is considered violent conduct which, according to Law 12 of the IFAB (International Football Association Board ) Laws of the Game, is punished with a red card. "If a player intends to use excessive force or brutality against an opponent when not playing the ball, regardless of whether contact is made or not, the action will be considered violent conduct," the regulations state.

This is not the first time a similar play has occurred in a women's football match. In the last European Championship, Germany's center-back, Hendrich, received a red card for pulling French player Mbock's hair. This season, it also happened in the match between Atlético de Madrid and Olympique de Lyon when Atlético's player Luany was sent off for doing the same to Selma Bacha.

But as everywhere, controversy is served. In the quarter-final tie between Chelsea and Arsenal, Katie McCabe (Arsenal) pulled Alyssa Thompson's (Chelsea) hair, but that day neither the referee nor VAR considered the action to be a red card. The blue coach Sonia Bompastor went to the mixed zone to complain about the action and showed the image – in which the hair pull was clearly visible – on her mobile phone. A clip that quickly went viral on social media and that Barcelona fans have repurposed to justify Kett's expulsion.

How does the red card affect it?

The red one arrived at the best moments of the Bayern Munich match. The Bavarian team had just drawn the tie –when Barça was at its best on the field– and had managed to turn around the feelings on the field. The Allianz Arena played a key role in cheering on the players during the ninety minutes and pressuring the blaugranas. Salma Paralluelo –after the controversial action– began to receive loud whistles every time she touched the ball. The Aragonese winger also had one last chance to leave Munich with the victory. The Camp Nou will also have to be decisive.

"When we were left with one less player, we attacked more with our heart than with our head," analyzed Pere Romeu after the draw. Kett's absence will affect the tie. The German was responsible for stopping – successfully – Graham Hansen, who had been the most outstanding player in recent matches, and completed her great game with the goal that equalized the duel. The Galician will have to place Carolin Simon at left-back.