VAR Has Not Been An Overwhelming Success In The Bundesliga

VAR Has Not Been An Overwhelming Success In The Bundesliga
14:23, 19 Jan 2018

After playing a controversial role in Chelsea’s FA Cup win over Norwich this week, the video assistant referee (VAR) has well and truly arrived in English football – but it’s already been in use on the continent this season.

The Sportsman has already reported on how VAR has slowly begun to improve refereeing standards in Italy, and Italian referees have “taken to the system with great enthusiasm,” according to the President of the Italian referees’ association (AIA).

But it’s been a bumpier ride in Germany.

77 per cent correct – is it enough?

In the first half of the 2017-18 Bundesliga season, 1,041 situations were checked by the VAR across 153 matches – an average of 6.8 checks per match. The majority of these decisions (750) were so-called “silent checks” in which the VAR reviewed a situation without needing to contact the referee on the pitch.

Of the rest, 50 checks, lasting 30 seconds on average, resulted in the VAR advising the referee to review his decision. Only on two occasions did the referee on the field stand by their original decision, while the other 48 occasions led to a change in decision.

Of those 48 decisions, 37 prevented a “clear and obvious error” – in other words, a success ratio of 77 per cent. On the remaining 11 eleven occasions, the intervention of the VAR led directly to an incorrect decision, with the most notable incident occurring in the match between Stuttgart and Freiburg on Matchday 10.

With ten minutes played, Freiburg defender Caglar Söyüncü unintentionally handled the ball when battling with Stuttgart striker Daniel Ginczek. Despite appeals, referee Tobias Stieler waved play on, only for the VAR to intervene. Having reviewed the incident, Stieler then incorrectly sent Söyüncü off – ostensibly for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity with an intentional handball although Ginczek was not actually in possession and still far from goal. Ten-man Freiburg went on to lose 3-0.

As furious as Freiburg manager Christian Streich was, his side haven’t had the worst luck when it comes to the VAR. That unfortunate honour goes to the Bundesliga’s bottom club, Cologne, who were on the receiving end of four contentious decisions in the “Hinrunde” alone – although they did benefit last week when referee Felix Zwayer failed to award Borussia Mönchengladbach a late penalty despite viewing video replays, Cologne going on to score an even later winner.

Secret instructions

The whole project became embroiled in controversy In November after Kicker magazine revealed that Bundesliga VARs had been given secret instructions to change the way they use video replays – but without informing the clubs.

Rather than intervening only in cases of "a clear and obvious error” (goals, penalties, straight red cards and cases of mistaken identity), VARs were instructed to alert the referee even if they weren’t entirely sure, leading to an increase in interventions.

The day after kicker’s revelations, the president of the German FA (DFB), Reinhard Grindel, denied any knowledge of the changes and insisted that referees on the field should always have the final say, while VAR project manager Helmut Krug was relieved of his role following accusations that he had unfairly influenced decisions.

Adjustments for 2018 – “11 errors too many”

At a refereeing seminar in Stuttgart during the winter break, officials said that 11 errors are 11 errors too many and admitted that the lack of transparency for fans in the stadium remains a problem. Why is the referee checking the monitor? Is it a penalty? Red card? Does the goal stand? “We know that we have to do something about it,” said Eugen Strigel of the DFB’s refereeing committee. “At the moment, it’s not satisfactory.”

At the Bundesliga referees’ training camp in Majorca this month, officials discussed adjustments to help streamline the use of the VAR, with the DFB encouraging referees to follow their own instincts and asking VARs not to intervene “in grey areas,” such as the incident in the Stuttgart-Freiburg game mentioned above.

They have also insisted that communication between the referee and the VAR be kept to a minimum and have instructed VARs not to make suggestions, but merely to describe incidents, leaving the decision-making to the referee.

Finally, plans have been suggested to have VARs inside stadia instead of “in the cellar in Cologne,” where the working environment has been described as “not ideal.”

Criticism from supporters

Whatever adjustments are made, the criticism from the stands is unlikely to cease. Many hardcore match-going supporters view VAR as part of a television spectacle which shows little regard for fans who are actually at the game.

Chants of “You are destroying our sport!” are heard almost every time the VAR is consulted, even when the team in question stands to benefit from a decision.

Ahead of Mainz’s home game against Cologne in November, the Mainz ultras produced a display demanding: “Reclaim the game! Scrap VAR!” Little did they know how prescient their message would turn out to be as the VAR awarded their team a penalty that never was before unfairly sending a player off.

Ultimately, these are more than just teething problems.

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