VfB Stuttgart’s Ermedin Demirovic criticises VAR ahead of Celtic visit

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The Celtic Star

·24 February 2026

VfB Stuttgart’s Ermedin Demirovic criticises VAR ahead of Celtic visit

VfB Stuttgart forward Ermedin Demirovic has criticised the use of VAR ahead of his side’s Europa League second leg against Celtic, after three of his goals were ruled out across his last two matches…

Ermedin Demirovic of VfB Stuttgart reacts during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD8 match between VfB Stuttgart and BSC Young Boys at Stuttgart Arena on January 29, 2026 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

VAR was again under the spotlight in Scotland over the weekend, with a remarkable round of Premiership fixtures producing five red cards. In three of those cases, on-field decisions were changed following VAR intervention, sparking further debate about its influence on the game.

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Now, Demirovic insists the controversy is not just confined to Scottish football. The Bosnia international had a strike disallowed for offside during the first leg at Celtic Park last Thursday, before two more efforts were wiped out in Stuttgart’s dramatic 3-3 draw with bottom club Heidenheim, one for offside and another due to a foul in the build up to his goal.

Looking ahead to Thursday’s clash in Germany, the striker urged referees to be trusted more in real time, calling for fewer interruptions and a greater emphasis on decisions made on the pitch.

VfB Stuttgart team photo at Celtic Park ahead of the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Knockout Play-off First Leg match between Celtic FC and VfB Stuttgart at Celtic Park on February 19, 2026. (Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images)

Speaking via Glasgow Times, Demirovic said: “This is unbelievable, I don’t even know what to say. It hurts brutally as a striker when you score three goals, and none of them count.”

“You can’t even celebrate anymore. What else can you do? In my view, the referee should remain a referee and make the decisions on the field. He decides what happens on the pitch. If he says it’s a foul, then it’s a foul.”

“These are factual decisions. The referee perceives this better on the pitch than any computer or anyone sitting in Cologne drinking coffee and making decisions for the referees.”

“I find VAR interventions very weak. The referees should start taking matters into their own hands. Nobody can tell me my goal was offside. It’s simply nonsense that we leave so much to the computers and don’t decide anything ourselves anymore.”

Conor Spence