“Get well soon!” (Sporting director Rouven Schröder of Schalke 04 when asked what he would write on a congratulatory card to mark the fifth VAR anniversary).

What is a “clear mistake”?

Schalke’s sports director Peter Knäbel scolded the team after a red card against Dominick Drexler in the match against 1. FC Köln (1:3) on the first matchday. In fact, the sentiment described by Knäbel remains the biggest problem with VAR, which is actually supposed to make soccer fairer. From the cellar is to be intervened only with clear wrong decisions. But when this is present, about it there are highly divergent views even after five years.

Enthusiasm keeps within limits

So every week the swearing and discussions continue. Günter Netzer’s fears have long since been disproved, after all. The former world and European champion predicted a perfect and boring sport due to the introduction of video evidence. But the heated discussions in the stadium, at the pub table and on talk shows have not died down.

Enthusiasm about the VAR is nevertheless limited. The organized fan scene wants to abolish it immediately. Yet the figures show that the VAR has actually made soccer, a business worth millions, fairer. In the leagues, between 60 and 100 incorrect decisions are corrected each – Season . Those responsible therefore see themselves vindicated. “There is more of a tendency to think about a lack of intervention than about excessive intervention,” said referee boss Lutz Michael Fröhlich.

Main criticism: emotion killer and lack of transparency

Yet fans are already upset. They complain about the loss of emotion due to delayed goal celebrations. Even the professionals sometimes have to wait what feels like an eternity before they can celebrate their goal. Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann complained on Sunday after the game against VfL Wolfsburg (2-0) that an offside decision against Sadio Mané “took five hours and 34 minutes.” Another annoyance is that TV viewers are better informed about disputed decisions than fans in the stadiums.

Despite all the criticism, video evidence is here to stay. At the controversial Winter World Cup in Qatar (November 20 to December 18), the world governing body FIFA plans to use a semi-automatic offside technique. Thus, a review should take only about 25 seconds.