Dortmund Chief Watzke Criticizes Handball Rule and Calls for Faster VAR Decisions

Hans-Joachim Watzke labels current handball regulations as unclear and urges improvements to video review processes without abolishing the system.

Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke voiced strong criticism of the current handball rule during the club's annual meeting, calling it poorly defined and ineffective.
Watzke expressed frustration with inconsistent handball decisions, describing the situation as 'nonsense' and demanding clearer guidelines for referees.
Despite his criticism, Watzke does not support abolishing video assistant referee (VAR) technology, arguing it reduces overall unfairness in the game.
He highlighted long delays in VAR decisions as a major issue, noting that these interruptions diminish the emotional intensity of matches.
Watzke, who holds influential roles in the German Football League (DFL) and German Football Association (DFB), called for improvements to VAR efficiency to preserve its potential benefits.