MUENSTER, Germany (AP) — A masked fan has unplugged the referee’s video review monitor at a German soccer game while the referee was deciding on a penalty, in an apparent protest against VAR technology.
The unidentified fan came out of the stands and unplugged the monitor which referee Felix Bickel was trying to use to decide on a penalty in Sunday’s second-division game between Preussen Muenster and Hertha Berlin, Muenster said in a statement.
TV footage showed a person in white overalls and a ski mask in Muenster green climbing back into the home fans’ stand.
It didn’t stop the decision going against the home team as video assistant referee Katrin Rafalski was able to decide remotely and communicated that decision to Bickel. Hertha’s Fabian Reese scored the penalty, the opening goal of a 2-1 win.
Muenster said it “regrets the incident and will do everything it can to identify the perpetrator or perpetrators and bring them to justice,” and added it would take steps to stop the incident happening again.
“Initial findings indicate that this was a planned action,” Muenster added. A photo in German media showed home fans displaying a large banner with a message reading “Pull the plug on VAR.”
Muenster captain Jorrit Hendrix said he was happy about the incident, though.
“It shows how the fans experience things and that they want to do everything to win the game,” he said in comments broadcast by TV show Sportschau. “If they can do something to influence it, they do that. I completely understand it and think it’s a good thing.”
Ever since VAR was introduced in German soccer in 2017, it’s been controversial among fans. Many see video review delays as an unwelcome interruption to the flow of the game.
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