Overview
- Referee Deniz Aytekin awarded three penalties in Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. Köln—two after VAR checks—and later described the Köln spot kick as a harsh call while defending the earlier reviews as based on clear contacts seen on the monitor.
- FC Köln coach Lukas Kwasniok declared, “I hate the VAR,” urging its use be limited to black‑and‑white rulings, and Gladbach’s Eugen Polanski echoed the criticism despite benefiting from the decisions.
- Union Berlin’s Steffen Baumgart blasted a calibrated offside that nullified an early goal against Bayern by roughly five millimetres, questioning the reliability of such ultra‑fine measurements in a 2–2 draw.
- Discontent extended beyond the derby as Augsburg’s Keven Schlotterbeck called a VAR‑awarded penalty at Stuttgart “absolute madness,” while TV analyst Lothar Matthäus publicly appealed for a single, consistent standard.
- Stakeholders remain divided on next steps, with proposals ranging from limiting review scope to introducing coach challenges or AI assistance, while BVB executive Sebastian Ricken argued to keep and refine the current system and no formal rule changes have been announced.