Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath has refused to pay the 10,000 euro fine given to him by the German FA after he was sent to the stands in his side's win over Stuttgart last month.
Magath was sent from the dug-out during the 4-1 victory for his half-time tirade against referee Helmut Fleischer.
"I said something to Mr Fleischer that was not friendly," Magath admitted in the Wolfsburger Nachrichten newspaper.
But he added: "I was already penalised by being unable to sit on the bench in the second half. Why should I be punished a second time and have to pay 10,000 euros?
"I never did anything in 13 years as coach and I accepted every wrong officiating decision obediently like a lamb. And now the federation is singling out one incident. I think it's completely wrong."
The former Bayern Munich coach is appealing the fine and the German FA (DFB) is expected to hear the case next week.
But DFB vice-president Rainer Koch criticised Magath for challenging the fine.
"He is trivialising the massive insult to the referee, does not want to accept the usual punishment and its inciting against the DFB and its referees. We won't accept this," Koch said in the Bild newspaper.
"I said something to Mr Fleischer that was not friendly," Magath admitted in the Wolfsburger Nachrichten newspaper.
But he added: "I was already penalised by being unable to sit on the bench in the second half. Why should I be punished a second time and have to pay 10,000 euros?
"I never did anything in 13 years as coach and I accepted every wrong officiating decision obediently like a lamb. And now the federation is singling out one incident. I think it's completely wrong."
The former Bayern Munich coach is appealing the fine and the German FA (DFB) is expected to hear the case next week.
But DFB vice-president Rainer Koch criticised Magath for challenging the fine.
"He is trivialising the massive insult to the referee, does not want to accept the usual punishment and its inciting against the DFB and its referees. We won't accept this," Koch said in the Bild newspaper.
Copyright (c) Press Association
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