Overview

• The decision ends the mandatory pre-kickoff meeting of referees, captains and coaches that was held 70 minutes before matches in the referees' dressing room.
• A majority at the DFL sports officials' meeting judged the format difficult to integrate into routines as substantive topics dwindled over the season.
• Knut Kircher said the exchange created a disturbance in the general pregame flow despite its intent to clarify expectations.
• Several coaches voiced objections, with Köln’s Lukas Kwasniok dismissing the measure as “Alles Kokolores” and Holstein Kiel’s Marcel Rapp urging its abolition.
• The DFL plans to decide later whether to use the instrument only for the opening matchdays of the next season rather than on a weekly basis.