Controversial penalty: Dortmund's BVB loses despite controversial decision!

Controversial penalty: Dortmund's BVB loses despite controversial decision!

On January 11, 2025, the Bundesliga game between Borussia Dortmund and Bayer 04 Leverkusen focused on when a controversial referee decision caused excitement. In the 79th minute, Borussia Dortmund received a penalty, which subsequently heated the minds. Leverkusen's defender Edmond Tapsoba had hit the Dortmund player Julien Duranville with his outstretched arm on the face in the penalty area. Referee Tobias Stieler initially let it continue, but checked the scene after a hint from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) on the monitor and finally decided on a penalty. Substitute Serhou Guirassy converted it to Dortmund's 2: 3 connection goal, but the game finally ended with a 3-2 defeat for the Dortmund.

TV expert Michael Ballack expressed sharp criticism of the referee decision and accused the impartial to be under increasingly pressure because they would rely on the VAR. Ballack emphasized that the VAR should only act in the event of clear wrong decisions, while this should not be considered clearly wrong. The former DFB referee Manuel Gräfe also emphasized that Stieler's original assessment of the Situation was not clear and obviously wrong. The discussion about the decision was supported by Leverkusen's player Granit Xhaka, who explained that it was "never a penalty" and the hand movement of Tapsoba considered normal.

the var in football

The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was introduced to help the referees with tricky decisions and to draw fairer conclusions. It consists of a team consisting of a video assistant, an assistant and an operator. In the Bundesliga, the referee can check the scene in question on the edge of the field in certain cases. However, there are clear rules when the VAR may intervene:

• gate: review of offenses in front of the gate, offside positions, ball in the end or offenses at the penalty.
• penalty: review of the attacking team before the penalty and false penalty decisions.
• direct red cards: review of offenses that thwart a clear chance of scoring.
• player confusion: correction of incorrectly forgiven yellow or red cards.

The introduction of the VAR in the Bundesliga began for the 2017/2018 season, and during its application there were numerous controversial decisions that often led to discussions among players and experts. The decision in the game between Dortmund and Leverkusen is now one of the most recent examples that have rekindled the debate about the Var.

The controversy related to the penalty decisions raise questions about the integrity and reliability of the referee decisions, which Granit Xhaka also appealed in his analysis of the game. He emphasized that Dortmund had no significant chances before the controversial penalty, which also fueled the excitement over the penalty.

Fr. href = "https://www.sport1.de/news/fussball/bundesliga/2025/01/bvb-elfer-gleverkusen-schieder-chieder-gar-angst"> Sport1 confirms that ... . bundesliga.com has detailed information about the var .