Football Bundesliga: Live at the referee: That changes for the new season

Master FC Bayern against RB Leipzig at the start, Hamburger SV back in the upper house: The new season of the Bundesliga promises spectacle. If from August 22nd (8:30 p.m./Sat.1 and Sky) the ball in Germany’s highest division rolls again, there will also be changes.

The German Football League (DFL) informed about modifications, future planning and the current status in its association center.

In February 2024, the DFL used a small special camera on the headset of the referee for the first time and thus filmed the action on the lawn from the perspective of the referee. The so-called refcam is to be used significantly more often in the new season, as DFL managing director Steffen Merkel said.

“In the next season we want to use the topic more often. At the start, less for the live area, rather for the highlight and social media area. It shouldn’t be a gimmick and no end in itself, it must be a sensible development,” said Merkel. He spoke of “a good addition”. Accordingly, 40 to 50 games with the Refcam are planned.

The DFL also wants to establish 20 so-called lighthouse games per season that enable additional access. In the future, interviews on the field – immediately after the final whistle – will also be conducted in these games. Initially, 15 Bundesliga and five second division games per season are planned.

Florian Wirtz? Will kick for FC Liverpool in the future. Thomas Müller? Does not get a new contract from FC Bayern. Felix Brych? Stop at the age of 49. The Bundesliga will need new faces in its 63rd season – and could find it with the numerous new coaches.

Sandro Wagner – former striker and assistant coach of national coach Julian Nagelsmann – starts his first Bundesliga station at FC Augsburg. The 37-year-old is considered a real type and filled the complete press hall of the FCA when he was presented. Wolfsburg’s new coach Paul Simonis (nickname “Gouda-Guardiola”) and Erik Ten HAG, who follows Bayer Leverkusen on Xabi Alonso, could also be enriched.

Although the U21 played at the European Championship in Slovakia with excited football to the final – the most valuable talents worldwide play the majority in England or Spain. At the media discussion in Frankfurt am Main, the DFL published statistics on the “percentage distribution of the top 250 U23 players according to market value”.

The result: Germany is not only lagging behind the English Premier League and the Spanish La Liga for the valuable talents for years, but has also lost successive talent in this category over the past decade. It is a quantitative evaluation. In this, the French Ligue 1 has now passed the Bundesliga.

With the upcoming season 2025/26, a new four -year right cycle begins. There are central changes, especially at two appointments on the weekend: The games on Friday evening (8:30 p.m.) takes over Sky from DAZN. And on Saturday (3:30 p.m.) the conference will no longer run at Sky, but for the first time at DAZN.

This in turn leads to double structures that have not yet been known. At the classic Bundesliga era on Saturday afternoon, there will be two channels live in the future: Sky at the individual games, dazn with the conference. RTL acquired the rights for the second division game on Saturday evening (8.30 p.m.) on free TV. The Bundesliga Sunday remains at DAZN.

Since July 1st, several changes from the international rule keepers IFAB have also been in the extent. The focus is particularly on the goalkeepers and the shooters of penalty.

– Time game of the goalkeeper: Instead of six seconds, goalkeepers should in future control the ball with their hands or arms for eight seconds. If a goalkeeper takes longer, there is corner kick for the opponent. The referee counts the last five seconds with a raised hand as a countdown. The previous rule, which would have resulted in an indirect free kick in its own penalty area, was hardly controlled.

– Double touch at the penalty: The shooter accidentally hits the ball twice at the penalty or shoots his other leg – which has so far automatically meant a false attempt, now gives a repetition in the event of a hit. If the penalty is missed with double contact, an indirect free kick for the opposing team continues. In the event of a false shot, the other team would be on the penalty shootout.

– Referee ball: So far, the team received the ball at a referee ball outside the penalty area, the player of which had recently touched the ball. This has been changed: the referee ball is now taking place with a team of the team who was or would have been in the ball.