Bundesliga referee Felix Brych with a clear opinion on VAR and handballs

Interview

Felix Brych is one of the best German referees of all time. In the watson interview, he speaks openly about the handball rule, the VAR and why it’s time to “let all your feelings out”.

watson: Mr. Brych, can you explain the handball rule to me in three sentences in a way that is easy to understand?

Felix Brych: (laughs) It’s not that easy. We play football and everyone has hands – they are part of the body. As a referee, it is important to find the balancing act between when the hands intervene in an unsportsmanlike manner and when it is justifiable. Finding this limit is not always easy for us either.

You have been a referee in the Bundesliga for 22 seasons. Was that easier before?

I think so because the game wasn’t that fast and the players were more likely to withdraw their hands. The topic of punishable handball has always existed in football. It’s just more difficult at the moment because the hysteria about every hand game is much greater than it used to be. I would like the general public to relax a bit when it comes to handball and that we would have more discretion in this area – knowing full well that we can never please everyone.

Felix Brych decides to take a penalty after a handball. To the horror of Bochum’s captain Losilla. Image: imago images / warrior

The hysteria is also so great because many hand games can only be recognized by the intervention of the video assistant (VAR) in super slow motion.

That doesn’t always make it easier, as the handheld game is dissected by the many camera angles. It is always crucial for us to draw the line between a natural and an unsportsmanlike handball.

And how do you draw this?

The live impression is very important. Sometimes that doesn’t come across so well in the slow motions, but objective parameters can be seen quite well there: How far away is the hand from the body? where was the ball How far is the distance between the shooter and the hand player. Then it is important to combine these questions with the live impression. That is not always easy.

Can you understand that sometimes even for observers and fans it becomes difficult to understand?

I can foresee that there is resentment on this subject. I also have to honestly say that sometimes I would really like not to make the decision myself because it is so complicated and difficult. But that’s my job as a referee and that’s what I come up for every week.

On April 27, “From a short distance – My principles of success as a world referee” will be published: the book by Felix Brych. picture: ullstein verlag

In your book you talk about the VAR making a referee more passive in his bad moments in decision-making. Is the VAR a disadvantage?

This is by no means a disadvantage. I wouldn’t want to whistle without VAR because I want and need this double bottom. What is crucial, however, is that I always bring my authority to the pitch, make my own decisions and only see the VAR as my rescue parachute. If I go into the game with that attitude and whistle, it’s a good tool to correct big mistakes.

In recent years we have seen more and more referees justify and explain their decisions to the media after the game. Is that a good development?

I think it’s generally good that we’re allowed to express ourselves and that we make use of it. This is not the case in other associations. However, it must not be too much. We are not obliged to express ourselves, especially when we have made reasonable or correct decisions. I have the feeling that there is now too much demand and that we referees are in front of the camera too often. But that is not the main task of a referee.

Which questions do you prefer?

I refereed the better game if nobody wanted anything from me afterwards. For me that is simply the greatest success. My goal is to clarify all questions on the pitch. Then I don’t have to step in front of the cameras and explain something afterwards.

At the same time, in your book you criticize the fact that “the inhibition threshold for tabloidism and scandalization has fallen further and further”. So do referees just have a bad PR department?

No. There’s nothing we can do about that. We just have a thankless job. Every team wants to win the game and then there are always the gray area decisions that need to be resolved. That’s why it’s not bad that we open up as referees. And with the book, I’m also trying to describe the complexity of the job and what’s in store for you before, during and after the game.

Felix Brych has to listen to the displeasure of Freiburg coach Christian Streich. Bild: imago images IMAGO / Jan Huebner

You also describe the mental stress this creates and takes away the fun of refereeing in 2018. One year after you were voted World Referee of the Year.

It wasn’t that easy at the time and I didn’t enjoy it that much either. I really had to fight there. The most important thing was that I whistled as flawlessly as possible over a long period of time. But of course I also had to work and manage with myself.

What did that look like?

I was able to work on the physical with my doctors and physios, but the mental is a very important component for every athlete. During this time I worked a lot with my sports psychologist, who has been looking after me since 2013. During this phase, it was about dispelling my worries, needs and fears. That helped me to recognize connections and patch them together. It also helped me that I was and still am socially well embedded in my hometown of Munich.

How do you look back on this time?

It wasn’t a pretty time, but those valleys make an athlete stronger and they made me stronger too. I believe that without this valley I would not have achieved the great end of my international career, including being re-elected world referee in 2021.

You also say that you always appear in public behind a facade according to the motto: “Fuck it, just don’t reveal any feelings” and that you are far from self-marketing. Then why the book now?

To finally let all these feelings out. Ultimately, the book is also intended to illustrate the loneliness of a referee and the life of having to figure everything out on your own. You always have to walk around with the facade as much as possible so that you don’t make yourself vulnerable. On the other hand, I would like to describe the fascination of this job. I was asked about the EM 2021 and initially hesitated for half a year. Ultimately, however, it is a great gift because I was able to work through the time for myself together with Sven Haist.

You will also referee in the Bundesliga in the 2023/24 season. Afraid you gave away a few too many secrets?

It may well be that the teams can adapt to me even better, but I’m happy to accept that. I have such a standing in the Bundesliga that I’m no longer constantly being tested. The players and coaches have known me over the years.

Not only players and coaches know you, you are also recognized in public and have no privacy. Have you come to terms with the fact?

I have to honestly say that I didn’t expect it that way. It was difficult for me to realize that I can never take off this referee’s uniform. Since I no longer whistle internationally, I can open up a bit or drink a beer in public. I’ve always avoided that before. But sometimes I get annoyed when people recognize me and say: “Look, there’s the referee.”

How do you react then?

Then I say my name is Felix and first of all I’m a human being and then I’m a referee. There is not only the nice side of the job and that is the other side of the coin.

After the coming season, a career end should be conceivable. Looking forward to Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays when you can just put your feet up?

There is great anticipation to take off the mask that I still have to wear to do justice to the importance of my job. But I’m an ambassador for football and I have to accept that I have to live accordingly. The length of your career depends on your performance and fitness, but also on how you deal with the side effects, which at some point you no longer want to endure.