Var break in the Bundesliga game: Leipzig's gate wrongly revoked!

Var break in the Bundesliga game: Leipzig's gate wrongly revoked!

On August 24, 2025, the Bundesliga started with a spectacular encounter between Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig, which ended with an impressive 6-0 victory for the Munich. But the game was overshadowed by a controversial decision by the video assistant (VAR). In the 64th minute, Antonio Nusa achieved a supposed honorary gate for the Leipzig, which was withdrawn by the Var. The reason for the intervention was a controversial free kick execution by Castello Lukeba, which was not recognized by referee Florian Badstübner and his team.

Joshua Kimmich, the Munich captain, loudly protested the decision and received a yellow card. According to Alex Feuerhert, the head of the DFB Schiri GmbH, the Head of Communication, the VAR was not entitled to intervene in this situation, since checking the free kick execution was not part of his tasks. Nevertheless, the Var decided from an exceptional situation to point out the irregular execution. Feuerherdt admitted that the entire process was incorrect and made it clear that such situations should be solved better in the field in the future.

Var and its tasks

The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) has played an important role in decision -making during the games since its introduction to the Bundesliga in the 2017/2018 season. According to the Bundesliga, the VAR is intended to support the referee through the latest video technology in order to improve the accuracy of the decision. The VAR is only active in specific situations, including gates, penalty decisions, direct red cards and the correction of player confusion.

In this case, however, it became clear that the decision of the VAR was not in line with the regulations that determine that a VAR may only intervene if an offense falls into its area of ​​competence, which is not the case when checking free kick designs. These regulations are part of the [DFB Convention] (https://www.dfb.de/eapper/dfb-fu%C3%9Fball rules-202324/106), which regulates the use of the VAR in football games.

Error and outlook

Feuerherdt made it clear that the decision not to give the gate was generally correct, since Lukeba had put the ball several times before the free kick. Nevertheless, Bavaria should be awarded a free kick instead of a repeat game. This misunderstanding shows how important the correct application of the rules is and that the referee teams are forced to better pay attention to the rules of the game.

The discussion about the role of the VAR will certainly remain a central topic in football in the future. With the experiences gained from this encounter, it will be crucial that the referees and VAR teams involved correctly use their skills and rules in order to protect the integrity of the game and avoid future mistakes.