Former Bayern Munich president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge supports VAR, but wants improvements

Q: What improvements does Karl-Heinz Rummenigge suggest for VAR?

Rummenigge suggests that VAR needs faster decision-making, better technology, and clearer communication to reduce delays and improve accuracy.

Q: How did VAR impact the Champions League semifinal between Bayern Munich and PSG?

VAR decisions regarding handball incidents significantly influenced the outcome, leading to controversy over PSG's progression to the final.

Q: What are the main criticisms of VAR according to Rummenigge?

Rummenigge criticizes the time taken for VAR decisions and the subjectivity in decision-making, advocating for more objective and clear rules.

Q: Why is VAR controversial in Premier League and Champions League matches?

VAR is controversial due to the lengthy decision-making process and the subjective nature of certain calls, which can heavily affect match outcomes.

PARIS, FRANCE - APRIL 28: Referee Sandro Schaerer awards a penalty to Paris Saint-Germain after a VAR check during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Semi Final First Leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Bayern München at Parc des Princes on April 28, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images) | Getty Images There’s a new discussion every week in Europe surrounding VAR. In the Champions League semifinals against Paris Saint-Germain for Bayern Munich, there was huge controversy surrounding two handball decisions that massively impacted the result of PSG progressing to the final to take on Arsenal in Budapest. In their pursuit of the Premier League title, Arsenal was again involved in a huge decision that disallowed a late West Ham United equalizer after VAR adjudged West Ham committing a foul on keeper David Raya. The decision took around five minutes to reach after viewing replays on the on-field monitor countless times and the decision tilts the title race in Arsenal’s favor over Manchester City, heightening level the criticism. For occasions as big as potential Premier League deciders or deciding who might go on to a Champions League final, or at the very least having VAR HEAVILY impact either of those two scenarios, making changes where they *can* be made is a logical expectation. For former Bayern president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, there definitely needs to be changes made to VAR and the way it’s handled by officiating teams. “I still believe that VAR contributes to a more serious and fair assessment in football. Unfortunately, I’ve experienced far too many incorrect decisions in my career as a player and in management. I’ve always been a strong advocate of the technology. VAR is good and helpful; we just need to change a few things,” the former Bayern and Germany legend stressed in an interview with kicker (via ). “Let me start with the time factor: Far too much time often passes between the decision and its explanation over the stadium microphone. The fans become restless. Then, from the ultras, there are chants like “F\*ck the DFB,” even though the DFB isn’t the right target. FIFA developed this system – and it was one of FIFA’s good decisions. What we need is an evolution, not a revolution,” Rummenigge continued. So much of what we all love about football is certainly robbed by the very nature of the presence of VAR, but it’s also a beacon of being able to look back and say that the right decisions were made, regardless of the eb and flow of raw emotion that it might disrupt. For the handball incidents not called vs. PSG for Bayern, it was more of a question of, *why did VAR not intervene when they should’ve*? For instances like Sunday’s late drama at the London Stadium between West Ham and Arsenal, the question is more along the lines of what Rummenigge is calling change for — *why did it take so long to find something that was meant to look for the on-pitch decision having made a “clear and obvious” error?* The technology is certainly there to make things work better, but it’s a matter of improving upon the subjectivity of the processes and perhaps having better lines of communication to avoid the dead spaces in time making things worse and opening the door for more criticism. The gray area in terms of what’s black and white, for Rummenigge, is what needs to be eliminated to remove susceptibility for decisions to met with such backlash. “Decision-making needs to be faster; we need the best technology, and we need to move back to more factual and less subjective decisions. More black and white and less gray, especially regarding the handball rule. This is also to help the referees on the pitch. Because the best referees are still the ones that leave the fans wondering on their way home who was actually in charge today. That means that the referee didn’t stand out and did a great job,” he emphasized. *If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on , , , or any leading podcast distributor…*