Bundesliga

Lothar Matthäus on VAR: “Need ex-professionals for support”

Published

2 months ago

April 26, 2022

Lothar Matthäus on VAR: "Need ex-professionals for support"

Ex-footballer for the “Kölner Keller”: In view of the recent incidents in the Bundesliga, record national player Lothar Matthäus has called for a reform of the video referee.

“After this weekend at the latest, one thing is certain for me: We need former professional footballers to support the VAR. There were two decisions in Leipzig and Munich that are no longer so easy to accept,” wrote the 61-year-old in his sky-Column.

Jochen Drees, DFB project manager for the video evidence, already admitted the scenes in the top game between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund (3: 1) and RB Leipzig and Union Berlin (1: 2) mentioned by Matthäus as errors.

In Munich, Benjamin Pavard brought down BVB professional Jude Bellingham in the 59th minute of the game when the hosts were 2-1. However, neither the penalty whistle nor the intervention by the video assistant. In Leipzig, according to Drees, there should have been a penalty after Nordi Mukiele fouled Berlin’s Niko Gießelmann. Referee Daniel Schlager received a tip from VAR Markus Schmidt – but stuck to his decision.

Pavard “scandal”: The “Bayern bonus” against BVB is so blatant

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The rivalry between Bayern and BVB has not only been fueled by close games in recent years, but also by controversial referee decisions. The next highly emotional chapter followed last Saturday.

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April 23, 2022: As can be clearly seen in the picture, Bayern’s Benjamin Pavard fouled Dortmund’s Julian Brandt and hit his ankle with his sole. Referee Daniel Siebert’s whistle was silent – a clear wrong decision.

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Siebert was cleared the day after the game against kicker: “That was the biggest mistake in this game and I’m very annoyed about my assessment of this scene,” he said. Pavard should have seen at least a yellow card.

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Siebert caused even more resentment at BVB 10 minutes later: again it was Pavard who cleared Jude Bellingham in the penalty area when the score was 2-1 for Bayern. The Frenchman first hit Dortmund and then played the ball – a clear penalty.

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Siebert didn’t whistle again, and the VAR didn’t intervene either, despite clear slow motion. “Pavard doesn’t play the ball. Technically, it’s a random game and therefore a foul. A penalty kick would have been the right decision,” Siebert said later.

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Even the experts were outraged. “To overlook that is a scandal for me,” said Stefan Effenberg in a double pass. Ex-Bundesliga professional Jan Age Fjörtoft said: “The blind man didn’t want to destroy Bayern’s championship party.”

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On Sky, BVB legend Roman Weidenfeller was also upset: “It started in 2013 at Wembley: Ribery clearly has to fly down. Over the years, the referees have disadvantaged us every time, you have to clearly state that.”

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A case of the Bayern bonus? “They’ve worked that out over the years,” said BVB legend Kevin Grosskreutz at ran: “The fifty-fifty things are already going to Bayern.” Grosskreutz is not entirely wrong, as our chronology shows:

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May 25, 2013: The German Champions League final is in full swing, BVB is in the early stages of the push. Neuer parried three times against Lewandowski, Blaszczykowski and Reus. Then comes the 20th minute.

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Ribery in a duel with Lewandowski, the Frenchman performs a mixed movement of tearing away and hitting with his elbow – and is only warned by referee Rizzoli.

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Former referee Merk: “Ribéry is actually still lucky. He can also draw red.” And today’s Bayern board member Kahn as a ZDF expert: “It’s not pushing away. He’s already reaching out and hitting him on the head. There’s been red for less.”

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Another point of contention in the CL final: Dante, who already had a yellow card, came on against Reus, which led to the penalty and 1-1, but not to the FCB defender being sent off.

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May 11, 2014: FC Bayern is the measure of all things in the league under Pep Guardiola, but in the cup BVB acts at least on an equal footing in the final. The 64th minute: Hummels heads a free-kick extended by Lewandowski onto the goal …

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… Dante clears, but only behind the line. Berlin’s goal-steal is perfect, especially since referee Meyer seems to have overruled his better-positioned linesman. According to some observers, he had already pointed in the direction of the center line.

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“Are you not serious?” BVB trainer Klopp asks a journalist who tells him of Willenborg’s alleged goal signal. BVB loses the cup final after extra time with 0:2. A discussion about technical aids breaks out.

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On the one hand, Klopp complained that Dante had to “work at Cirque du Soleil” to clear the ball before the line, the situation was so clear for him. However, he also criticized the widespread rejection of electronic aids at the time.

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However, these were not necessary in this situation. “When they play somewhere in Siberia, there are five men on the goal line. But in the cup final of the largest association in the world, none at all,” says Klopp.

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May 21, 2016: Same stage, just two years later. BVB and Bayern are dueling again in Berlin for the DFB Cup. In the 39th minute, Gonzalo Castro gives Ribery one, which in turn knocks Weigl around.

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Then there is an argument between Castro and Ribery, as a result of which the Frenchman grabs the BVB midfielder in the face. The clear assault remains unpunished, Castro and Ribery see yellow.

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Instead of being outnumbered for 50 minutes, Bayern continue to play with eleven men and are lucky again that referee Fritz does not send off Vidal (49th/79th), who is begging for yellow-red, later on.

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The Chilean “survived” the 120 minutes in Berlin, took the penalty to make it 1-1 in a penalty shoot-out and was able to celebrate another cup win with his teammates. Would that have existed with Ribery-Rot as well?

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March 31, 2018: BVB goes down in the Allianz Arena on this day. Bayern give the black and yellow archrival six goals. From today’s point of view and despite the lack of chances in Dortmund, the first one resembles a scandal at the time.

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Lewandowski, who has meanwhile moved from Dortmund to Munich, is close to Müller’s pass, but clearly and clearly offside. Although the VAR now exists, Bayern’s 1-0 counts.

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April 6, 2019: BVB experienced another humiliation in Munich and was clearly defeated again in 90 minutes. It’s 5:0 at the end. But here, too, the 1-0 through Hummels wasn’t quite clean and should have been blown.

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The goal scorer behaved according to the rules, but not his teammate Lewandowski, who clearly pushed Delaney away from Dortmund with both hands when he crossed. There is no whistle and the VAR does not intervene either.

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August 3, 2019: Dortmund beat FCB 2-0, but the topic of the evening is a kick by Joshua Kimmich against Jadon Sancho when he is on the touchline and the Bayern six tries to get the ball for a quick throw-in.

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Kimmich then rejects any intention and, like Salihamidzic, even thinks yellow is excessive. However, ex-referee Kinhöfer classified the action as “dark red”. Understandable given the TV pictures. But by far not the last excitement.

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May 26th, 2020: On this day, FC Bayern manages the decisive victory in the championship race. With a 1-0 win at BVB in the empty Westfalen Stadium, FCB is seven points behind, but again benefits from a VAR blackout.

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Kimmich puts Bayern in the lead with a wonderful lob, but BVB stays behind and Haaland equalizes in the 58th minute, but Boateng deflects the shot around the post with his upper arm not applied.

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A clear and punishable handball in the sixteen, but a review of the handball does not take place in the Cologne basement after referee Stieler did not intervene on the field. A circumstance that leaves even Gary Lineker stunned.

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“Penalty? VAR?” tweeted the English football legend. And BVB boss Watzke analyses: “You can see the intention at Boateng. That’s why it was a clear penalty.” However, BVB does not shoot large poison arrows afterwards.

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March 6, 2021: FC Bayern countered BVB’s lightning start. Est is 2-2 after trailing 0-2. Although FCB are dominant, a quite respectable point division for Dortmund is on the horizon, …

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… but then Leroy Sane bumped into Emre Can on the center line in a running duel and Bayern converted the ball win 30 seconds later into Leon Goretzka’s 3:2. BVB captain Reus in particular gets upset afterwards.

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“If this foul had been at Bayern, he would have whistled it one hundred percent,” said Reus on Sky, and then even went against Fritz again: “For me, the referee had no balls to whistle there.”

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While the Bavarians like Thomas Müller and ex-referees like Kinhöfer or Jochen Drees saw no foul play by Sane on Can, those responsible for BVB around Zorc and Watzke spoke of a wrong assessment of the scene by Fritz.

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Zorc spoke of a “wrong decision” that “decided the game”, Watzke raised a “clear foul” by Sane on Can. Zorc also spoke of a historical preference for Bavaria.

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December 4th, 2021: The top game of the 14th matchday is a rollercoaster, it goes up and down. 53 minutes: When the score was 2: 2, Marco Reus was sent by Erling Haaland – and fell to the ground in a running duel with Lucas Hernandez in the penalty area.

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Referee Zwayer did not whistle for a penalty, and apparently there was no VAR review. It only turned out later: Haaland was offside before his pass. A penalty whistle would have been corrected by the VAR.

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That doesn’t change anything about Dortmund’s outrage, coach Marco Rose sees yellow because he can’t get over it anymore. But the duel between Reus and Hernandez is only the prelude to further drama.

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76 minutes: Mats Hummels clears a corner kick in front of Robert Lewandowski, raises his arm slightly and touches the ball with it. After a VAR check, Zwayer gives a penalty for Bayern. 3:2 The BVB bankruptcy is sealed.

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BVB coach Rose is sent to the stands by Zwayer with yellow and red, then Jude Bellingham causes an uproar because in an interview after the game he refers to Zwayer’s past in the Hoyzer affair.

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The DFB sentenced Bellingham to a fine of 40,000 euros. Rose speaks of the fact that the game was measured with “two different measures”. While the BVB penalty scene was not checked, the basement turned on in the hand scene.

It must be stated “that despite (or because of) the VAR support, the two decisions were so blatantly wrong that remedial action has to be taken to make football even more just and fair,” wrote Matthäus, who at the same time spoke out against “Abolish the video referee again, because that would be a step backwards.”

However, former footballers could “rate controversial scenes better because we ourselves have been in these situations for years and know what it looks like when you are fouled or fouled,” Matthäus claimed. The intuition of ex-professionals is “in such cases” different than that of people “who often stand or have stood on the pitch and watch games, but have not played this sport themselves at this level.”