Bundesliga Refs with Top Marks: VAR Stays Out of It – and Everyone's Happy

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Bundesliga Refs with Top Marks: VAR Stays Out of It – and Everyone's Happy.

You may have felt it yourself during the Saturday evening Bundesliga game: the matches flow again, the referees blow their whistles more, they argue less in the earpiece, and at the end of a scene there's usually a clear whistle – and not a minutes-long VAR marathon. The Frankfurter Rundschau picks up the trend in a commentary: According to "Kicker" grades, the Bundesliga referees have reached an average that has never existed before – better than ever. The headline captures the mood: "VAR stays out – and everyone's happy."

What does Knut Kircher plan with the VAR?

The architect behind the new VAR course is Knut Kircher. The 57-year-old is Managing Director of the DFB Referee GmbH and has in the past taken a clear stand against overreaching video evidence. In the kicker interview, he says about the current intervention threshold: "The line with the VAR is good." The Mopo quotes him with the demand that the VAR should be "used more cautiously" in the future – and more responsibility should once again lie with the impartial official on the pitch. Kircher's message: The referee is not a servile helper of a Cologne video basement, but the boss on the pitch.

What has concretely changed after the World Cup?

At a meeting of the DFB Referee GmbH with Kircher and the "Football Commission" of the Bundesliga (formerly DFL) on Monday in Frankfurt, the guidelines for the new season were drawn up. The kicker summarizes the resolutions: no blanket corner checks anymore, "kid's mistakes" – i.e. youthful errors without clear impact – should be consistently punished. FIFA referee Daniel Siebert, together with those responsible at the DFB Referee GmbH and the Bundesliga group, aligned the officials with the new line. The Sportschau had described the previous season as a "turbulent season" with "hair in the offside" and "consequential paper scraps" – exactly such images are supposed to become rarer.

Who benefits – and who loses?

When the VAR intervenes less, the power dynamics shift. Ligainsider has traced in an analysis which clubs benefited most from VAR decisions in the previous season – Borussia Mönchengladbach, for example, was awarded a penalty four times retroactively and also had a goal recognized. Such "gifts" will become rarer in the new VAR diet. On the other hand, there are clubs that had disputed goals taken away via video – their frustration will likely also be smaller. What remains is a game decided closer to the pulse of the pitch.

Is the VAR diet really the reason for the grade record?

The Frankfurter Rundschau draws the connection in its commentary: fewer VAR interventions, better grades, everyone satisfied. This can only be proven indirectly – the "Kicker" grades reflect the perception of reporters and experts, not an objective error measurement. The correlation is nevertheless striking: hardly does the VAR pull back, the referees' reputation rises. The Mopo, however, warns against too much and titles "Football of Yesterday," should Kircher turn the lever too far. But for now, approval seems to prevail – with players, coaches, fans, and now also in the grade statistics.