A certain soothing peacefulness is attributed to women’s soccer, even at the highest level. On Saturday evening in the arena, one could find the usual signs of it: on the field, a fair game between two outstanding teams, and in the stands, 31,000 spectators providing a dignified setting for this first leg in the Champions League semi-final between FC Bayern and FC Barcelona. Without pyrotechnics, with much approval and warmth for the home team, and a certain respect for this super team from Spain.
Until the 80th minute, it remained that way, then it became excitingly hostile. There was shouting in the stands, towards Barcelona and towards the referee. Because suddenly, this encounter had taken a significant turn, possibly with long-term consequences.
An inconspicuous duel between Munich defender Franziska Kett and Barcelona forward Salma Paralluelo caused the commotion. Paralluelo, a former sprinter, made a swift move past Kett, who tried to grab her, perhaps by her jersey, but ended up catching Paralluelo by one of her long hair strands.
“Pulling hair” is not listed as a foul in the official rules of soccer but as misconduct. Intention doesn’t matter, the process is simple: player pulls, opponent falls, player gets a red card. This happened last year in the 13th minute of the 2025 Euro quarterfinals with Kathrin Hendrich against France’s striker Griedge Mbock. And now with Kett against Paralluelo in the Champions League semi-final.
This action will be remembered as one of the defining moments of this significant game in Munich’s club history. It had no immediate fatal consequences. The score was 1-1 at the time of the red card, and it remained that way shortly after the end, with the Munich team surviving several Catalan attacks. This result against a Barcelona women’s team, known for winning almost all their matches, was quite acceptable. The defiance of the Munich women surprised the Spanish team.
Franziska Kett from Deggendorf is one of the discoveries of this season, even in the national team. Her bold style of play impressed the national team coach enough to include her in the squad despite her relative inexperience. Kett’s constant presence, skill in duels, and speed in transition were evident in the 1-1 draw with Barcelona.
There was agreement that the red card for Kett followed the rules and was not intentional: “Franzi surely didn’t do it on purpose,” said Bühl. Munich women’s soccer chief Bianca Rech, however, believed a discussion was needed about the red card: “If you see that players have hair down to their faces and Franzi tries to grab the jersey and somehow catches the hair,” said Rech, “in my opinion, it’s different if you pull a player’s hair at the top of the head or by the hair in a situation where you’re grabbing a jersey.”
The red card for Kett could set a precedent. However, a short-term rule change is unlikely. Kett will miss the return match at Camp Nou next Sunday, as will her coach. Josée Barcala also received a red card for protesting too loudly. Rech was further annoyed by the performance of Croatian referee Ivana Martincic, who handed out not only two reds but also five yellow cards: “I don’t know how many cards she ended up giving out like candy.”
The Munich women did not lose control in this matchup, unlike their 1-7 defeat in Barcelona last October. At least not in terms of soccer. Towards the end, the typical composure in women’s soccer started to slip away from the audience: even during the warm-down, the Barcelona players were booed, although they were not to blame for the hairy decisions.
