In the 57th minute of the match between Lucerne and GC, a VAR decision was made that resulted in a handball penalty. As TV pictures show, it was a wrong decision. Now referee Johannes von Mandach explains the situation and the conversation with VAR Luca Cibelli.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- FC Luzern are awarded a penalty against GC that wasn't actually a penalty, as new TV pictures show.
- Referee Johannes von Mandach had originally analyzed the scene correctly, but was then wrongly overruled by VAR Luca Cibelli.
- In an interview with blue Sport, the referee explains the conversation with the video referee.
GC struggles with the video referee in Lucerne: As new TV images show, VAR Luca Cibelli made a gross error of judgment in the 57th minute. Instead of a hand penalty, Luzern should only have been awarded a corner, as the ball was never on the hand.
This is how referee Johannes von Mandach had originally seen it, as he did not blow his whistle. In an interview with blue Sport, he confirmed: "I didn't see anything on the pitch. I described it to the VAR, but he told me it was a handball and asked me to come to the screen."
"I can't do anything else at the end"
What happens next appears to be a gross error on the part of the video referee. "I saw on the screen that the defender's arm was splayed out and his body was unnaturally enlarged. But you couldn't see perfectly on the images I received whether the ball was really on his arm or not," explains von Mandach.
This is not unusual due to the image quality, explains the referee. "It can happen from time to time. Because the picture you see on TV is better than the one we're working with here."
But why did von Mandach give the penalty? "I then asked the VAR: 'Is the ball really clear on the hand? He told me that he had seen better quality images on TV where the ball was on the hand. So I trusted this judgment. He really confirmed to me with certainty that he had the pictures. In the end, I can't do anything else," says von Mandach.
Refereeing expert Grossen: "The VAR was a bit impatient"
Bitter for GC: Donat Rrudhani then scores the penalty for Luzern. Refereeing expert Bruno Grossen analyzes the scene in the blue Sport studio as follows: "I think the VAR was a bit impatient. I have the feeling he thought the ball was on his hand. But the ball was on his thigh."
Grossen continues: "The VAR should only intervene if he sees beyond doubt that the referee made a mistake, i.e. that the ball touched his hand. I don't see that. I don't understand this decision."
Although Zurich were already 1-0 down at the time of the penalty decision, they were trailing by an even greater margin. The game in the Swissporarena ended 2:0 for Lucerne.