Seoul Gazette - German football fans plan widespread VAR protests

On Thursday, fan groups from clubs across the country shared co-signed statements critical of VAR and calling for the video assistant referee technology to be abolished.

The fan groups are expected to launch protest action at matches, with the first round kicking off on Friday.

Entitled "VAR is robbing us of the joy of football", the statement said the technology has "destroyed the most emotional moment of the game.

"Instead of spontaneous joy after a goal, there is uncertainty about a possible review.

"We want to return to this state permanently and therefore demand the abolition of the Video Assistant Referee in German football."

German football has a strong history of fan activism, with regular protests launched in recent seasons against match starting times and investment deals.

In the 2023-24 season, widespread fan action including littering pitches with tennis balls and chocolate coins resulted in the scrapping of an investment deal, despite the proposal winning majority support of clubs.

The protests resulted in significant delays, with players speaking out against the actions and referees threatening to cancel matches.

Recent cup winners Stuttgart and Eintracht Frankfurt start their cup journeys against lower league opposition on Friday, while holders Bayern Munich play on September 2.

Due to technical and other issues, VAR is not used in the first round of German Cup matches. The technology has been introduced from the last 16 stage, but this season will be adopted from the second round onwards.

J.Lim--SG