Overview
- Former elite referee Urs Meier said the system has not made football better or fairer and warned referees are losing core skills by leaning on video intervention.
- Recent Bundesliga matchdays drew fresh complaints about frequent and inconsistent interventions, and the DFB‑Pokal’s early rounds lacked video support entirely.
- FIFA’s Football Video Support at the U17 World Cup lets coaches request one review per half with a card, sends the referee to a sideline monitor, and operates without a remote video bunker.
- The trial has already influenced match outcomes, and FIFA referee chief Pierluigi Collina frames it as a cheaper option for competitions with fewer cameras, though finite challenges and fewer angles limit precision.
- Approaches diverge across leagues: Sweden’s top clubs voted in 2024 to reject VAR, and Germany’s 3. Liga and Women’s Bundesliga remain without it as the DFB cites cost and coverage constraints and says it will watch alternative-system tests.