After VfB Stuttgart’s defeat at SC Freiburg, coach Bruno Labbadia heavily criticized the video referee. Goal scorer Chris Führich quarreled with the football god.
Actually, everything went very differently than fans of VfB Stuttgart are used to. VfB, who are known for missing many chances this season, took the lead at SC Freiburg with the first dangerous shot on goal. And Führich of all people, who in turn is known for hastily wasting chances, took a no-frills shot from 25 meters into the corner. And when a close decision was scored for VfB (when Ritsu Doan scored, but Michael Gregoritsch had been ruled offside), it seemed as if things could really go differently than usual this time: as if VfB could win against SC Freiburg . Under Bruno Labbadia. And even abroad.
In the end everything was the same as always
When the 97 minutes were finally over, the supporters had to realize: it went back to normal. Or to paraphrase trainer Bruno Labbadia: “Groundhog greets every day.” VfB has not won 20 away games in a row. VfB lost to Freiburg for the sixth time in a row. Labbadia is still waiting for his first Bundesliga win. And everyone who sticks with VfB is struggling with a controversial referee decision. Or rather: video referee decision.
Disputed penalty to 2:1
When the score was 1-1, Stuttgart central defender Dan-Axel Zagadou touched Doan slightly in the penalty area. Doan fell. Referee Sascha Stegemann saw the scene that was taking place not far from him and allowed it to continue. Then the video referee intervened, Stegemann watched the scene on the screen for a few minutes – and then decided on a penalty. Vincenzo Grifo scored to make it 2-1 (0-1). “If he (referee Stegemann, editor’s note) doesn’t look at it, it’s not a clear wrong decision. He does it and changes his mind. What should you do?” Führich asked himself after the game.
Labbadia: “The referees are being defrocked”
His trainer Bruno Labbadia found even clearer words. “You can’t make a clearer decision than the referee made on the second penalty if you saw his movement. And yet he’s called out and it takes him ten minutes to control it. I think that’s it a dumping of the referees that we’re seeing right now.” The referees would be relieved of all responsibility, which is not a good development, explained Labbadia. He would not have whistled the penalty, but that is not what matters to him, it is about the intervention of the video referee, although there was no clear wrong decision. “I am a total opponent of VAR.”
Labbadia: “There’s a problem with us”
Labbadia, who only scored two points in his first five Bundesliga games with VfB, was also at odds with his team: “We failed to make it 2-0 after going 1-0. That’s where we’re stuck, I have to say that clearly.” Goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow, who stood in for Florian Müller who was ill (gastrointestinal problems), didn’t want to absolve the team completely of responsibility: “We still had enough time to make it 2-2. In the end it’s just bitter .”
Führich sees VfB on the right track
He will still have to nibble on this game, said Labbadia. But now it’s also about rebuilding the team. Führich explained that VfB is on the right track in terms of gameplay, but the results were missing. “It kind of feels like the gods of football aren’t on our side when you look at the trajectories.” Bredlow, on the other hand, didn’t want to know anything about that: “The football god has nothing to do with it, it was more the video cellar or the referee,” he directed his anger at the earthly representatives of power.
