In which situations can the video assistant referee (VAR) intervene? Has the situation been checked? What was the final decision made by the referee on the pitch, with the assistance of the VAR? Starting from the 5th matchday of the 2020/2021 season in the Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga, information on VAR checks will be published on the new Twitter account of the DFB referees @dfbschiris, which will lead to a faster and better understanding of decisions.
The VAR was introduced in the top German division in the 2017/2018 season, following a decision by the Bundesliga clubs. The video assistant referee has also been in use in the 2nd Bundesliga since the 2019/2020 season. In principle, the following four situations are checked by the VAR in each game: goal (foul, handball, offside and other irregularities during or in advance of scoring a goal), penalty kick (non-punished or wrongly punished offences), red card (not awarded or wrongly awarded), mistaken identity of a player (red, yellow-red or yellow card). In the event of interventions by the video assistant referee and checks that lead to a noticeable delay in the game, tweets will be published on the Twitter channel @dfbschiris containing the referee's decision, the reason for the review and the final decision. The DFB referee channel @dfbschiris is accessible to fans, media and interested parties without their own Twitter account. Checks that do not lead to a noticeable delay in the game and are not included on the DFB referee's Twitter channel will also take place in the four categories described. Through the new Twitter channel of the DFB referees @dfbschiris, the VAR system is to be continuously developed and improved in terms of transparency and building understanding during the 2020/21 season.
Source: DFB