Uefa say they will not bare their teeth over Rüdiger's 'nibble' on Pogba

Euro 2020 organisers, Uefa, on Wednesday said the Germany defender Antonio Rüdiger will not face punishment over an incident in which he appeared to make contact with his mouth on the back of France midfielder Paul Pogba.

Euro 2020 organisers said they will not discipline Germany's Antonio Rüdiger (right) for appearing to bite the France midfielder Paul Pogba during their Group F match. Pool via REUTERS - MATTHIAS HANGST

The flashpoint came just before half-time at the Allianz Arena in Munich as Rüdiger tried to restrict Pogba’s space as he received the ball.

Rüdiger pressed his face into the back of Pogba who let out a scream and grabbed the top of his right shoulder and stopped to inspect it.

“I should not come close with my mouth to his back, no doubt about it,” said Rüdiger after the Group F game. “It looks unfortunate,” he added. “Paul and I have talked about it as friends after the final whistle.”

Victory

France won the clash 1-0 to go second in the pool behind Portugal who beat Hungary 3-0.

Pogba, who plays for Manchester United in the English Premier League, said Rüdiger should not face any sanctions.

“I’m not crying for cards, yellow, red cards, because of such actions,” said Pogba. 

“He nibbled, I think, a little bit on me. But we have known each other for a long time.”

Rüdiger came under fire last month while playing for Chelsea over a challenge on Kevin De Bruyne during the Champions League final.

The Manchester City skipper had to be substituted early in the second-half after suffering facial fractures. 

Rüdiger escaped without punishment in the final and on Tuesday night referee Carlos del Cerro Grande took no action against the 28-year-old.

“I told the referee about what had happened,” added Pogba. “And he takes decisions … and he took a decision. It’s over. It was a great match for us and I didn’t want him to be suspended because of such a situation.”