Refereeing under fire across Europe, how neighbours are faring | OneFootball

As France’s debate over refereeing rumbles on, neighbours in Germany, England, Spain and Italy are not much better off this season.

According to L'Équipe, in the Bundesliga the climate is tense, with marginal offside calls driving arguments. On matchday 12, more than half the fixtures sparked rows, often over millimetre decisions. After Union Berlin lost 1-2 to Heidenheim on 29 November, general manager Horst Heldt said he no longer understood anything and found it terribly frustrating, insisting offside should be clear.

The Premier League has been relatively calm, with no major refereeing row affecting the title race so far. Last year, late 2023 saw a disputed Anthony Gordon goal against Arsenal allowed after a lengthy VAR check. Relations now seem calmer, with captain-first dialogue and semi-automatic offside broadly accepted.

Despite 16 officials dedicated to VAR, criticism has intensified in La Liga. Hardly a matchday passes without complaints, from missed offsides or attacking fouls before goals to inconsistent calls on contact, handball and dismissals. Clubs rail against what they see as a lack of coherence and uniformity.

In Serie A, stadium-wide announcements are seen as adding pressure on referees. After Lazio lost 0-2 to Inter on 9 November, Maurizio Sarri said it might be time to bring in referees from abroad and that he no longer saw officials up to standard. Errors in that match did not necessarily change the result, but the referee sometimes looked overwhelmed.

Across these leagues, consistency remains the central complaint.

Source: L'Équipe