For a long time, this sentence was valid in professional handball: “The only amateurs on the field are the referees.” This attribution was often made after games with poor performance by the referees, and because in handball, with its many decisions, there is regularly a team that treats itself unfairly feels, the referees quite often had to live with the label “poor” when evaluating their performance. The attribute “amateur” referred to skills – and pay.
For several years now, national and international associations have been trying to professionalize refereeing. The referees should become an accepted part of the game; recognized by the players – and also by the fans.
If you look at this European Championship, the associations have made a lot of progress, because there hasn’t been a tournament in a long time in which the referees’ appearances played such a small role – there was satisfaction across the board.
Better preparation and greater fitness
The perceived “more justice” arises, on the one hand, from their better preparation and greater fitness. On the other hand, the video evidence ensures safety in tricky scenes. For the first time, extended video evidence was used at this tournament: Before the referees looked at the controversial scene, a second pair selected the appropriate images and perspectives.
“You sit next to the video operator and help find the right setting so that a lot of time is not wasted,” says Robert Schulze. Tobias Tönnies thinks it’s an important development: “Every whistle I put on the record has a big impact. We also have to observe the subtleties. The video evidence assistants should go one step further and filter out the details for their colleagues so that everything is as accurate as necessary, but also as quickly as possible.”
Use of video evidence
Tönnies whistles with Schulze and is considered the best German duo. The two Magdeburg players led a few games in the Hamburg main round group. Schulze’s assessment of the refined video evidence: “This is based on even more professionalism. It is the important and right way to adapt to the game trend, because handball is constantly evolving.”
Video evidence at the European Handball Championships: The burden has been taken off your shoulders: Image: AFP
The two no longer want to do without the video evidence itself. “I was against it at first. But I have to revise that,” says Tönnies, “he can only help us move forward.” Especially when it comes to the most common application – a red card after a foul or just two minutes? – the operation works smoothly.
Schulze says: “The video evidence helps us create transparency. This is good for our reputation among the teams, but also for a positive atmosphere in the hall.”
Especially in the so-called “game-changing situations”, i.e. fouls or other rule violations in the last 30 seconds of a game, the video evidence has taken the burden off the referees’ shoulders to keep track of things in the hustle and bustle of the final phase.
Frank Heike, Cologne Published/Updated: Recommendations: 7 A comment from Christian Kamp Published/Updated: Recommendations: 3 Christian Kamp, Cologne Published/Updated: Recommendations: 1
Tobias Tönnies can imagine explaining the video evidence decisions using a microphone and loudspeaker in the hall, like in rugby or American football: “It would be helpful because the viewers sometimes don’t know what we were looking at and what happens next. I’m open to it.”
The two were in action again this Friday – in the game for fifth place between Hungary and Slovenia (23:22). This is also a reward for good game management.
