“What do we have the VAR for?”
Kick in the face leaves Kellerkind Mainz stunned
February 8, 2024, 8:13 a.m
Mainz and Union Berlin draw 1-1 in the Bundesliga relegation battle. However, the result then plays a subordinate role. Especially for the people of Mainz who are outraged by a controversial scene. Referee Petersen’s statement raises more questions.
After the 1-1 draw against 1. FC Union Berlin, FSV Mainz 05 was outraged by a controversial referee decision. “Unbelievable, I have no words,” said midfielder Nadiem Amiri on DAZN after the game on Wednesday evening. The reason for the trouble was a situation in the tenth minute when Mainz striker Ludovic Ajorque was hit in the head by Berlin’s Robin Knoche in the opposing penalty area. Ajorque was bleeding from the head and had to be treated, but referee Martin Petersen did not award a penalty.
“What do we have the video evidence for? I don’t understand it,” complained Amiri. “It’s clearly a penalty. He’s kicking him in the face with his studs. I think his nose is broken. He’s been bleeding the whole game and it’s not a penalty, or what?”
His teammate Jonathan Burkardt couldn’t believe it either. “It’s unbelievable,” said the striker, who scored the 1-0 (45th + 8th minute). “That really hurts, for me it was a clear penalty. I don’t even know what the reasoning is in retrospect. You have to see that in the pictures.”
“I have no understanding of that”
Mainz coach Jan Siewert also couldn’t accept the decision. “It’s really extremely bitter for us. I don’t understand why this penalty isn’t given,” he explained, visibly upset, at the press conference: “Ludo is clearly head first on the ball and then he kicks it right in the face Face. That’s unbelievable to me. Anyone who has a different opinion here should convince me, I don’t think that’s possible.”
Instead of a penalty, Petersen opted for a corner after the long injury break. A decision he might not have made based on the pictures. “Of course that’s not the scene I saw in the game, I was looking at it from the other side,” the referee explained after the game. “During the game I also saw that the ball was being played, but because of my positioning I didn’t see the long foot and also the tip of the foot that hits the face.”
Why the VAR didn’t intervene
Petersen added about the situation: “I also noticed that the player was standing with his head down and relatively bent over. That was my reason for saying there was a corner kick.” An argument that could hold true if it weren’t for the VAR. It should bring more justice to football. Based on human judgment, he would have had enough time in his basement in Cologne to recognize the kick, even due to Ajorque’s facial injury.
Petersen also commented on this after the game: “In a case like this there is always communication and I presented my perspective. He then looked at the pictures, checked my arguments and then came to the conclusion that we definitely had a penalty can exist, but there are also arguments against it and we are in a gray area.” Therefore, the VAR did not intervene.
A mistake, as Petersen said after looking at the pictures: “In retrospect, I think that the arguments speak more for penalties and I would have been happier to give a penalty.” And so after the game, not only the people of Mainz were unhappy, but also the referee, who announced that he would “critically review” the events with his team.