Overview
- In Mönchengladbach’s 3–1 win over Köln, referee Deniz Aytekin awarded three penalties, with two given after VAR sent him to the monitor.
- Aytekin said replays showed knee contact and a clear handball he could not see live, while admitting Köln’s stoppage-time award was a “hard” penalty.
- Köln coach Lukas Kwasniok said “I hate the VAR” and argued dynamic actions are distorted by slow-motion reviews, a view echoed by Gladbach’s Eugen Polanski.
- Union Berlin had a potential opener at Bayern wiped out for an offside measured at roughly five millimetres, prompting Steffen Baumgart to denounce such ultra-marginal calls.
- Pundit Lothar Matthäus urged the DFL to impose consistent standards as ex-referees and figures such as Arsène Wenger floated reform ideas, with no official changes announced.