We love our football the way it is because, unlike some other sports, the rules are simple and clear. There have been few rule changes or changes – they actually advanced the game. The goalkeeper’s hand ball, which was not allowed until later, the introduction of shirt numbers, the yellow or red card: simple changes that have prevailed and are accepted.
For some time now, however, a monster has been hovering over football – a real mood killer. The monster is called Video Assistant Referee (VAR). It’s a video device controlled from a basement off the lawn. It was introduced to make football fairer. Didn’t work. The fan never understands when and why the referee gets a sentence or whether it was his decision to do a video review.
The best example: last week’s football. What there was to experience in terms of VAR decisions is not on any fan soul. Penalties in the Leipzig cans game against Union or Freiburg against Gladbach. But penalties are not the only hot topic at VAR. When a goal is scored, nobody dares to celebrate. After all, it still has to be checked whether it was offside, whether it was a foul, etc. That’s what happened with Hertha’s 1-0 win in the Olympic Stadium last Sunday.
No, football is no longer fun like that. And the game hasn’t become fairer because of the VAR. Give the referee back the sole decision-making authority. A quick decision means quick joy or quick disappointment. That’s how it should be, that’s how it was for over 100 years.
»Sport free!« from the fan advocate.
