Berlin, Aug 23, (dpa/GNA) – Former Bundesliga referee, Jürgen Jansen, has heavily criticized the use of the video assistant review system (VAR) in Germany.
Last weekend was the five-year anniversary of its implementation in the Bundesliga, and Jansen believes there is still a lot of work to do.
In Eintracht Frankfurt’s 1-1 draw with Cologne on Sunday, a long stoppage was needed to decide whether an offside player was blocking Frankfurt keeper Kevin Trapp’s view. The goal was ultimately awarded, much to the annoyance of Trapp.
“When a check is lasting four minutes, you don’t need a video check. Just leave the decision to the referee,” the 61-year-old told Funke Media Group on Tuesday.
He also said the red card handed to Schalke’s Dominick Drexler in the first round of Bundesliga matches against Cologne, would not have been given before the advent of VAR – and rightly so.
“At normal speed that is not a red card, whether that is in a local league or the Bundesliga,” Jansen opined. “But in close up or super slo-mo, it looks like a red card because his foot was on the calf of the opponent.”
It was not a sending-off for Jansen because it was “not brutal” and instead “unlucky.”
A third problem is that VAR repeatedly evaluates similar situations differently, he added, although he did acknowledge that most decisions made by the system are generally correct.
GNA