Fewer VAR interventions
©IMAGO
DFB referee chief Knut Kircher gave the referees in the Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga a good interim report. In the first half of the season he recognized “a lot of very good and good game management. In comparison, only a little slipped and deviated from the line, there were only small dents that we can withstand,” said the 55-year-old to the “Editorial Network Germany”.
Kircher was also satisfied with the interpretation of the hand rule: “After a few bumps on the first two matchdays, we sharpened things up – and have not had any incorrect or missing hand penalties since the third matchday. What we are not yet completely satisfied with is that the VAR is comparatively often required for these decisions.”
However, Kircher was positive about the fact that the video assistants have had to intervene significantly less this season than in the previous season. The number of interventions has fallen by a good 30 percent. “We have thus achieved what we set out to do before the start of the season: strengthening the field decision and returning to the criterion of ‘clear and obvious’,” said Kircher.