On Saturday afternoon, Bayern Munich were back to their devastating best, beating relegation candidates Mainz 8-1 at the Allianz Arena. It was a game that saw Bayern’s record signing Harry Kane score yet another hattrick, as his tally for the Bundesliga season increased to a remarkable 30 goals with nine games remaining.
However, the most important story of the day did not come from a Bayern perspective. Instead, it would be referee Patrick Ittrich at the centre of attention, but for all the right reasons.
In the 33rd minute, Mainz midfielder Josuha Guilavogui collided with his teammate Anthony Caci. Guilavogui’s head impacted with Caci’s knee, leaving the midfielder motionless on the floor.
Immediately, Ittrich attended to Guilavogui by placing him in a stable position before proceeding to pull his tongue out of his throat.
“If someone is lying there like that, then you have to act quickly. I’ve experienced many situations like this. The tongue was in the back, and when it’s out again, then you start breathing again, and you’re there again. Nadiem Amiri immediately hugged me because he realised it was an explosive situation,” explained Ittrich, who is a full-time police officer.
As well as this, on Sunday evening, Guilavogui took to social media and stated his appreciation for all involved: “Thank you very much for the quick intervention and the help provided, Patrick Ittrich, my teammates, and the doctors at 1. FSV Mainz 05.”
In what was such a pivotal moment, it was the quick thinking and decisive actions of Ittrich that prevented Saturday from being one of the darkest days in German football. Thank you, Patrick Ittrich.
GGFN | Will Shopland
