No punishment for dive

The incident, which occurred just 19 seconds into Schalke's game in Leipzig on Saturday, has been one of the main talking points to emerge from the weekend's Bundesliga action. Timo Werner went down in the penalty area close to Schalke goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann. As the replay later revealed, there was no contact between the two players.

Referee Bastian Dankert awarded a penalty and gave Fährmann the yellow card, even though Werner himself claimed to have told the ref that there had been no contact between him and the keeper.

Werner himself converted the penalty for a 1-0 lead for Leipzig, laying the foundation for their 2-1 victory.

After Saturday's game, Dankert said that he had asked Werner what happened but did not get a response. The referee also apologized for getting the decision wrong.

Straight after the match, the 20-year-old striker denied any wrongdoing. But on Sunday, he admitted he took a dive and apologized for his unsporting behavior. "Of course it doesn't only look like a dive, it is one - full stop," he said.

Referee's decision 'based on facts'

On Monday, a statement released by the DFB's (German football association) disciplinary committee said that it did not have the option of sanctioning Werner as it found that he had not lied to the referee immediately after the incident.

"We have thoroughly examined the situation. Ultimately, the referee took a decision based on facts," committee chairman Anton Nachreiner said.

In support of video replays

The controversial decision has led to renewed calls for the introduction of the use of video replays during Bundesliga matches.

"By communicating with a video assistant, Bastian Dankert could have reviewed the situation and definitely would have arrived at the right decision," the DFB's head referee, Lutz Michael Fröhlich, said.

mrk/pfd (SID, dpa)