Video evidence in the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Co: This is how the technology works

The video evidence is used in the Bundesliga, in the DFB Cup, in the Champions League and in the World Cup. In this practical tip, we explain how the technology works.

• In addition to the referee, there is now also a video referee in the Bundesliga. This video referee is located in the Video Assist Center in Cologne and can process up to 6 games in parallel. He receives all relevant scenes from two operators and evaluates them from different camera angles. If the video referee is not quite sure himself, he can also consult with the supervisor present on site.
• If the video referee realizes that the referee has made a clearly wrong decision on the field, he can intervene in the situation. He reports to the referee by radio and can voice his concerns about the decision. The other way around, the referee can also report to the video colleague and ask for support if the situation is unclear to him.
• The final decision is still made by the referee on the field. He looks at the pictures of the video referee on the edge of the field on a monitor. The viewers then also see these pictures on television.
• After the first half of the 2018/19 season, the first balance was drawn. The video referee intervened 56 times in a total of 153 games, 55 interventions were correct. An intervention later turned out to be a wrong decision, the video referee should have intervened twice, but did not.

Bundesliga: when will the video evidence be used?

The video referee may not intervene in all situations. He only reviews the following scenarios:

• All situations in which a goal is scored, i.e. handball, foul and offside.
• Penalties and penalties are both unjust and wrongly punished offenses.
• Red cards and mix-ups of players when distributing cards.

In the next practical tip, we will explain the football tactics of the wrong 9.