There will be no major rule changes in the Bundesliga for the new season – but there will be some innovations. Sports show expert Lutz Wagner gives an overview.
What has annoyed football fans, but also professionals and coaches nationally and internationally for years, is pretty clear: the different interpretation of the rules for handball. One referee whistles penalties for a scene where the other referee simply waves it away: play on.
There is an urgent need for clarification here, everyone agrees. And according to Lutz Wagner, who has played almost 300 Bundesliga and second division games at the whistle, the referees are also starting the season with clear guidelines.
Handball while turning or supporting is not penalized
Wagner explains this in the Sportschau interview: “There’s been a lot of tinkering around in the recent past. So: the intention continues to be punished in the first place. Then there was the enlargement of the body defense area. And it’s important that the referee clearly recognizes that this is about a deliberate enlargement of this area acts to stop the ball.”
A “turn away” or “support when falling”, in which the ball then touches the hand, should clearly not be punishable. Wagner: “But if someone spreads out goalkeeper-style and then gets shot from three yards out, they still intend to block the ball – so that’s an offence.”
“Pass control” for defenders
There is also a further clarification with the offside rule – and it falls in favor of the defending players. So far it has been that the offside has been nullified,”when the ball comes from the defender“. That also implied the scenes in which the defender only touched the ball slightly when trying to clear it – but that’s changing now.
Lutz Wagner: “Only playing the ball in a controlled manner cancels offside.“In the event of an unsuccessful clarification or rescue attempt, on the other hand, the offside position remains – this change primarily benefits the technically somewhat more limited professionals. If an attacker is offside, they are now allowed to kick an air hole or “candle” produce without bad consequences for you and your team.
Emergency braking can suddenly go unpunished
Luck and external circumstances have recently also played a serious role for the UEFA rule enforcers when punishing an “emergency brake”: Suddenly this fact can end without any personal punishment even for the foul player – which is likely to confuse the fans.
According to Wagner, the following requirements must be met: “Normally there is red for the emergency brake. But if the defending player’s intervention was ball-oriented, he gets away with yellow. In future, however, the referees will also assess whether there is still an advantage after the foul, for example if the ball still lands on a teammate. Then the original triple penalty is even reduced twice – and the player gets away with it without the warning.”
VAR is not a “referee improver”
Such a scene should in any case be something that the video Assistant Referee look again in peace. Under what circumstances he then intervenes, Wagner also clarifies once again: “There are four facts. Goals, penalties, red cards and mistaken identity are checked, which fortunately only occur very rarely. But it’s still not about the VAR making the referee better – it’s just about making him crystal clear protect against errors in the areas mentioned.”