15th December, 2017
A majority of Germans on Friday showed they are in support of video evidence being used in football, the country’s local media reports.
The reports indicated that this was in spite of major criticism of some decisions made in the Bundesliga over the past weeks.
Commissioned by dpa, a survey by YouGov among 2,027 Germans between Dec. 6 and Dec. 8 saw 64 percent support of the technology.
Only 17 percent called for it to be scrapped immediately, while 19 percent was undecided.
The video referee was introduced at the start of the season in the Bundesliga as part of tests in several countries.
However, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) will decide in March whether to introduce it officially.
It has been a rocky start in Germany, with players, coaches, officials and fans not sure at times when the video referee is to step in.
The ruling body DFB has by now clarified the rules, saying the technology is to be used only when the referee has made a blatant mistake.
A majority in the survey called for improvements in the system, with 62 percent in favour of showing the reviewed incidents in the stadiums.
Also, 59 percent would approve of coaches being able to call for a review.