ÖFB referee boss:

VAR? “There is no acceptance of mistakes!”

ÖFB head referee Viktor Kassai

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

Former top referee Viktor Kassai has been the ÖFB's head of refereeing for a year now. He took up the post of "Technical Director" with the aim of improving domestic soccer referees. The first interim report after the 2023/24 season is consistently positive. "Something is happening in Austria. We need to build on this in order to play a role in international refereeing in a few years' time," said Kassai in the ÖFB interview.

In order to achieve this ambition, the Hungarian laid down a "very clear line" when he took office, which was to be implemented from the outset. This would not happen from one day to the next, however, but would be a process. This process has already brought initial success: Compared to the fall season, the number of wrong decisions had been reduced in the spring. Kassai attributed this to "intensive training measures", which were focused on after thorough analysis.

There is no acceptance of mistakes by a VAR, which automatically puts you under pressure. However, you must not forget that a VAR is also just a human being who can understand or interpret a situation differently.

Viktor Kassai

It is therefore important for elite referees to learn practical thinking. "Football doesn't expect you to whistle purely according to the rules, but to interpret situations in a practical way," said the Hungarian. Another focus was placed on fitness. Elite referees from Austria must reach the fitness level of top European referees four times a year in order to be allowed to referee in the two highest divisions.

Julian Weinberger and Christian-Petru Ciochirca achieved their first successes at international level. Both made their debut in the Europa League. Amina Gutschi even made a semi-final appearance in the Women's Champions League. A good start for Kassai, but not yet satisfactory: "Unfortunately, we are a long way from where Austrian refereeing was 20, 30 or 40 years ago." However, when he looks at the performance of Austrian referees, he is 100 percent convinced that they can hold their own in a European comparison.

Kassai at a seminar with domestic referees.

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

Problem: the fierce competition. "Everyone wants to have referees in the Champions League, at the next EURO and the next World Cup. The competition is fierce, but we still have to put ourselves in the spotlight with good performances so that UEFA realizes that our referees are very good." Austria's referees had to watch on at the recently concluded European Championship.

"VAR is just a person who ..."
Kassai was also confronted with criticism of the VAR in his first year. This concerns both the time it takes for the final decision to be made and the number of wrong decisions that are made despite the technical assistant. Kassai tried to reassure: "The acceptance of mistakes by a VAR is non-existent, which automatically puts you under pressure. However, you must not forget that a VAR is also just a human being who can understand or interpret a situation differently."

However, it was clear to the former top referee that change and improvement were needed. VAR manager György Ring, former assistant to Kassai, was therefore entrusted with the task of finding the best players for the video study. After all, the requirements and characteristics of a referee and a VAR are hardly the same. "The aim must be to use a maximum of ten to twelve people who work consistently. Because that is the basis for success," explained Kassai.