During the match between Lucerne and GC, referee Johannes von Mandach reviewed video evidence.Image: trapezoid
This scene from the Swiss football weekend is likely to spark discussion for some time to come. The home team Lucerne from central Switzerland played against GC. The referee Johannes von Mandach pointed to the penalty point for the second time in a short period of time after conducting a video consultation based on the advice of VAR Luca Sibeli. The second time – not long before Lucerne had already missed a handball – it was said to have been a handball from GC defender Dirk Abels that resulted in a penalty.
However, it is unclear whether handball actually occurred. “The ball went to my hip,” Abel explained after the game, and television pictures of new footage shown only after the decision seemed to confirm that claim.
The ball could have landed on Dirk Abel's hip instead of his hands.Bild: Screenshot blue
The problem was that Mandach's referee didn't see anything himself, as he explained in a post-match interview with Blue Sports: “I didn't notice anything on the pitch. I saw on the screen, the player's arms. It's been extended, adding to his body area, but you can't tell from the photo I received whether the ball is actually in my arm.”
Von Mandach explains that this sometimes happens. The TV picture is usually better than what you see on the VAR monitor. These are very twisted. So what happened next? The referee explained:
“I asked VAR if the ball was actually in my hands. He assured me that he had seen a better image on TV that showed the ball was clearly in his hands. I trust that judgment because if the ball was in this action If it touches the hand, then it's obviously a handball.”
Two penalty kick scenes from the game in the video. The second one is the one that causes controversy.Video: SRF
Von Mandach also explained why he did not take more time: “It soon became apparent that the case could not be solved solely by the pictures I had at the scene. I had to rely on the judgment of VAR, who of course confirmed to me that he had other Image. It’s no use watching that scene five or six times.”
The grasshoppers were correspondingly angry. Abel, who caused the penalty, spoke of “perhaps the biggest joke of my career so far”, with GC coach Sullivan describing the incident as an “absolutely wrong decision” and the behavior of the referee and VAR as “unprofessional”.
GC was supported by blue team refereeing expert Bruno Grossen: “I just didn't see the ball touching the hand.” He believed the ball could easily have been deflected by the player's thigh. Then VAR was not allowed to intervene at all: “VAR can only make a report if there is no doubt that the referee made a mistake, i.e. the ball was touched by a hand. I didn't see that. I don't understand the decision.”
It is obvious that the GC is already 0-1 behind at this time. There's no guarantee Zurich will turn things around. But the referee's suspected wrong call in the 59th minute made the task even more difficult. Because FCL penalty kick rewritten the score to 2-0.
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As Swiss champions, Sion attempted to qualify for the newly formed UEFA Champions League in the autumn of 1992. For the first time this season, the original National Champions Cup will be replaced by a group stage. A record number of 36 clubs (all champions at the time(!)) took part in the most important European club competition.
