Always trouble with the VAR, a “hair offside” and serious scraps of paper – the Bundesliga referees are experiencing a turbulent season.
For those who like to get excited, the subject of football referees is a paradise. The current Bundesliga season has already offered plenty of incentive to really get your heart rate up. “Complete nonsense”, Gladbach coach Eugen Polanski, for example, complained about the VAR (Video Assistant Referee). His Cologne colleague Lukas Kwasniok “hates the VAR” according to his own statement. At the same time, there was a lot of complaining in the scene when the VAR technology was missing in the second round of the DFB Cup for cost reasons and the wrong decisions piled up.
So there were plenty of topics for the DFB’s top referees during their winter training camp in La Manga, Spain, at the beginning of January. Alex Feuerherdt, spokesman for DFB Schiri GmbH, was also there. In the Sportschau interview he took stock: “Overall, we are quite happy with how the first half of the season went. There were improvements compared to the previous season in the referees’ on-field decisions, particularly in the area of penalties.” But it is also clear that there are mistakes where people are at work, said Feuerherdt. “We’re really trying to keep that to a minimum.”
Alex Feuerherdt, Head of Communications and Media Relations at DFB Schiri GmbH
Scraps of paper disturb Offside technique
There were also problems with the technology. Feuerherdt admitted that the newly introduced semi-automatic offside detection “in some situations” didn’t work completely reliably. For example, in St. Pauli there are pieces of paper on the lawn “The lines were affected – and with it the semi-automatic offside technology. In another game, wires were put together incorrectly on site.”
How often the camera-based technology failed and why is still being evaluated, said Feuerherdt. “In the vast majority of cases, the system worked perfectly.” And it ensured that the offside checking process was reduced from 45 to 23 seconds. The referee spokesman also emphasized: If the new technology fails, the video assistants can still draw an offside line and make a decision in the traditional way.
Deniz Undav was only slightly offside on matchday 14 in Bremen – but measurably so. The system correctly recognized the offside position.
Great excitement about Wirtz’s goal
It’s often about centimeters – another hot topic. Or around “a hair that is offside”as Wolfsburg’s Maximilian Arnold put it in frustration. The Premier League in England takes a different approach and allows a five centimeter tolerance range. But that also causes irritation.
On Tuesday, Fulham FC complained to the British refereeing organization about Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz’s goal in Sunday’s 2-2 draw. The referee initially ruled it offside, but the TV images seemed to prove him right. Nevertheless, the VAR intervened and gave the goal – precisely because of the tolerance rule, which is interpreted in favor of the attacker in case of doubt.
It was a test of nerves for Fulham’s team manager Marco Silva; everyone in the stadium clearly recognized the offside, he complained. “No matter who you asked, everyone who loves football would have the same opinion as me.”
Kircher against the rule of tolerance
Knut Kircher, managing director of DFB Schiri GmbH, doesn’t believe in the tolerance rule. “A disadvantaged person could say: Even four centimeters are offside – it doesn’t work that way. And he would be right,” he told the kicker. “We should never introduce this on our own initiative, but must use the technology as precisely as possible.”
Knut Kircher, Managing Director and Communications at DFB Schiri GmbH, at a media training session
FIFA is also taking this approach at the upcoming 2026 World Cup. The world association announced on Wednesday that it wants to digitally scan all players from the 48 participating teams in order to create AI-supported 3D avatars. This means that the semi-automatic offside technology should be able to track players even during quick and hidden movements. Gianni Infantino calls this a great step forward. The avatars “provide great images, faster decisions and better understanding”, the FIFA President is quoted as saying.
IFAB discusses offside rule
Infantino also flirts with Arsene Wenger’s idea of rethinking the offside rule. Accordingly, a striker would only be considered offside if he is completely in front of the defender. The rules keepers of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) will also be dealing with this issue at their next meeting on January 20th in London.
Stadium announcements will be continued
In Germany, the referees will be called upon again at the weekend when the Bundesliga plays its 16th matchday after the winter break – and not only as match officials, but also as presenters. Since the start of the season, they have been announcing their review decisions in all stadiums.
Referee Harm Osmers announces a VAR decision
According to Feuerherdt, there was a lot of positive feedback – from referees and fans. “Especially when it comes to somewhat more complicated decisions and interventions, many people are happy when it is announced in the stadium. We are of course happy to carry it out accordingly, even if it means that the referees’ job profile has become even more demanding.”
Announcements also in the training camp
One thing is certain: the referees also practiced the announcements at the training camp in La Manga – on a lonely training ground on the Spanish coast. Practice offers a completely different challenge: the referees have to use Puls 160 to tell tens of thousands of spectators that they had obviously recently misjudged a situation.