As reported by ZDFheute, the World Cup opening match between Mexico and South Africa sparked plenty of discussion. Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio showed a total of three red cards – two against South Africa and one against Mexico. Mexico won the match 2-0.
ZDF expert Christoph Kramer, a 2014 world champion, criticized the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) after the match. He said he was particularly annoyed by the “super slow-mo,” extremely slowed-down replays used to review incidents. Kramer explained that he himself had played with VAR for two years and knew how to exploit the technology: “If someone just touched me, I’d call for the medics and everything. I stayed down for so long because I knew the referee would look at it in super slow-mo from many angles. Then you get penalties left, right and center, where in real speed there simply isn’t one.”
The ZDF expert therefore called for a strict change: the VAR should only play back incidents in real time in the future, not in slow motion or super slow motion. ZDF refereeing expert Thorsten Kinhöfer, however, considered the three red cards justifiable: “All three cards can be given.”
Source: www.zdfheute.de
