Union coach Bjelica says he felt powerful during three-game ban

DPA
·1 min read
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Union Berlin coach Nenad Bjelica watches from the stands, during the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1.FC Union Berlin and Darmstadt 98. "It was very difficult to be in the stands. It's not easy, you can't react. The last thing you can say to the team is 35 minutes before the game," Bjelica said in a news conference on 09 February. Andreas Gora/dpa
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Union Berlin coach Nenad Bjelica felt powerless during his three-game suspension due to an altercation with Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sané.

"It was very difficult to be in the stands. It's not easy, you can't react. The last thing you can say to the team is 35 minutes before the game," Bjelica said in a news conference on Friday.

He's to be back on the sidelines on Saturday as Union host VfL Wolfsburg.

During the 1-0 defeat to Bayern on January 24, Bjelica hit Sané in the face as the player was trying to get the ball to take a throw in. The coach was suspended for three games by the German Football Federation (DFB) and also received a fine of €25,000 ($26,980).

Internally, the topic was not discussed again with the team after Bjelica apologized and the focus was on the following games.

Without Bjelica on the sidelines, Union defeated Darmstadt 1-0, lost 2-0 to RB Leipzig and played out a 1-1 draw with Mainz.