FC defeat in the Rhine derby
“I hate him”: coaching duo want to abolish VAR
November 9, 2025 – 7:35 a.mReading time: 3 minutes
1. FC Köln turned out to be a good loser after the derby defeat at Borussia Mönchengladbach (1:3). There are still clear words against the VAR.
When Lukas Kwasniok came to the press conference after 1. FC Köln’s derby defeat at Borussia Mönchengladbach, one message was initially important to him: “The most important thing in sport is to celebrate victories with pride and accept defeats with decency.” And so the Cologne head coach congratulated his colleague Eugen Polanski and simply summarized the game: “The dramaturgy was not on our side.”
By this, Kwasniok was primarily referring to the two penalties against the Billy Goats in the 45th and 61st minutes, each aided by interventions by the video assistant (VAR). The VAR had sent referee Deniz Aytekin to the video images because of alleged offenses by Cologne’s Kristoffer Lund. Aytekin assessed both situations as criminal and decided on a penalty for Mönchengladbach.
Even Polanski judged afterwards: “I’m not a fan of the VAR at all, and it’s getting worse and worse. Even if we’ve benefited now, I just don’t see the point in it.” The Borussia coach even had a reason of his own, because FC had received a penalty in stoppage time, but the VAR had not been activated – to the Gladbach coach’s incomprehension. “He’s never allowed to whistle that.”
Curiously, two coaches sat on the podium at the press conference after the derby and each complained about the VAR. The ongoing topic of the Bundesliga had once again provided plenty of material for discussion on Saturday evening in Borussia Park: because Lund fouled Gladbach’s fee on the first penalty, but had previously been pushed into the opponent; because Lund clearly had his hand on the ball during the second penalty, but tried to pull it back; and because Ache went down very easily during the Cologne penalty, but the VAR supported Aytekin’s view.
Kwasniok just shook his head after the game. “Thank God there is a coaching colleague who has the same opinion as me. I not only don’t like him, I hate him,” said the FC coach about the VAR. “He distorts everything.” The VAR “completely misjudged” the action against Ache and “it was neither a foul nor a handball.” It’s clear to him that “everything looks different in the super slomo, but live it’s evaluated differently.”
Kwasniok had already explained the previous week that thanks to the VAR, the referees would only be “on the move as if they were using a navigation system” and would no longer rely on their own senses. Now Kwasniok compares the VAR with his video analyst in the coaching team. “I also have the support of my analyst in the stands. But if I always listened to him and what he sees, he could be the head coach and not me.”
Kwasniok also explained how the VAR should be used in the future. “Offside, out of goal, foul in or outside the penalty area – actions that are black or white. The VAR makes a lot of sense,” said the FC coach. “But not with dynamic actions.” But the 44-year-old also knew: “I won’t be able to get him eliminated. Not even with the support of Eugen.” After all: Polanksi replied: “I’ll stick with it.”