Fan groups from various German clubs are planning large protests against the use of Video Assistant Referees (VAR) in professional football at this weekend's men's Cup first round matches, dpa learnt on Wednesday.
The games will not have VAR because lower-league clubs are automatically at home under German Cup rules and the infrastructure to install the video review system is not in place.
"In the Cup first round we see football as it should be - without VAR and therefore authentic, immediate and full of emotion. We want to return to this state permanently and therefore demand the abolition of the Video Assistant Referee in German football," a letter circulating among supporters of various clubs and seen by dpa reads.
VAR will come in from the men's second round. Previously this was only the case from the round of 16. The men's Bundesliga and second division will again use VAR.
"While football is about intensity and rhythm, the flow of the game suffers considerably from (VAR) interruptions which drag on. Even fans who were initially open and positive about the change state after nine years that VAR has fundamentally altered the character of the game," the fan letter continues.
VAR's tasks will be expanded further in the new German season. They may intervene if a red card is shown after a clearly incorrect second yellow card.
VAR can also correct the referee if the wrong player is mistakenly booked or sent off. However, in contrast to the World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico, corner decisions will still not be reviewed by VAR in Germany.
At an event held by the German Football Federation's refereeing subsidiary Schiri GmbH in Frankfurt this week, VAR head Jochen Drees said European football was moving in the direction of "strengthening the referee again and only intervening in the case of clear and obvious incorrect decisions."
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