The newly-introduced Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system was used for the first time in just the 55th minute of the opening match of the 2017/18 Bundesliga season between FC Bayern München and Bayer Leverkusen.
After Bayer Leverkusen’s Charles Aranguiz brought down Robert Lewandowski in the box, referee Tobias Stieler consulted his video assistant referee Dr. Jochen Drees to award the penalty decision to FC Bayern München. Lewandowski converted the penalty to make it 3-0 to Bayern.
Match referee Stieler was pleased with the support given by his video assistant. “It’s exactly the kind of situation where a video assistant is needed to make football fairer,” he said. “Us referees aren’t perfect, sometimes we make mistakes. If we can correct these mistakes with the help of video assistant referees, then that’s fantastic.”
Where is an Video Assistant Referee?
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Portugal
- Australia
- Brazil
- America
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