Germany's coach, Christian Wueck, has called for quicker decisions from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system following his team's 2-1 victory over Denmark at Euro 2025. The match, held in Basel, Switzerland, saw two lengthy VAR reviews in the first half that disrupted the flow of the game and drew jeers from German fans at St. Jakob-Park.
Wueck, who took over as the Germany women's national team manager in March 2024, succeeding Horst Hrubesch, has emphasized the need for football to find ways to expedite VAR decisions.
The first controversial VAR review occurred after Klara Buehl scored what appeared to be the opening goal for Germany. However, after three minutes of deliberation, VAR determined that Buehl was offside, and the goal was disallowed. Later in the first half, Germany was initially awarded a penalty for a handball by a Danish player. This decision was also overturned following a lengthy VAR review. A penalty was awarded in the 56th minute after a tackle in the box, but the decision took almost two and a half minutes for the referee to point to the spot. Sjoeke Nuesken converted the penalty, scoring Germany's first goal. Lea Schueller scored the winning goal 10 minutes later.
Wueck acknowledged the difficulty of the calls but insisted on the need for speedier resolutions. He stated, "I don't know if the decisions were right or wrong, but the system, football has to think about how they can speed that up, the goal wasn't allowed, and then the penalty wasn't given. We have to take steps to make those decisions faster".
The call for quicker VAR decisions isn't limited to the Germany-Denmark game. During Sweden's match against Denmark, a review to determine whether Denmark should be awarded a penalty lasted over four minutes, ultimately resulting in a free kick for Sweden.
VAR was first introduced into women's football at Euro 2022. Currently, during the group stage of the Euro 2025 tournament, VAR is implemented with an assistant, and an additional assistant will be added for the later stages.
Germany's victory against Denmark brings them closer to securing a spot in the Euro 2025 quarter-finals. Germany has a rich history in the Euros, having won the competition eight times. They are rebuilding after a disappointing group-stage exit in the 2023 World Cup. According to Wueck, the win against Denmark reflected the team's strong mentality.