Deniz Aytekin is one of the most popular referees in the country.
(Foto: IMAGO/Beautiful Sports)
Referee Deniz Aytekin warned professionals at the start of the new Bundesliga season to gain time for an ongoing video evidence decision. The 44-year-old said this in the podcast “Kicker meets DAZN”. “I went to the players and told Upamecano to stop. He looked at me in shock and said: ‘I didn’t do anything.’ I then said: ‘Yes, I know. But I need time'”, Aytekin described the scene from the opening game Eintracht Frankfurt against FC Bayern (1: 6) on August 5th.
- According to Aytekin, he didn’t want the review to attract attention “because I didn’t want to jeopardize the flow of the game and the atmosphere”. However, the referee admits: “Of course, this trick is not always the solution and it doesn’t always work either.”
- The time factor is one of the major criticisms of video evidence. On Sunday, Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann said after the 2-0 win against VfL Wolfsburg: “It took five hours and 34 minutes before you knew it was a millimeter offside. I would be interested to know how thick was the line they drew.”
