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If you want a job done right, sometimes you have to do it yourself. At least, that was the mindset of supporters of German soccer club Preussen Munster over the weekend.
The club, which sits in 14th place in the second division of German soccer, the 2. Bundesliga, played host to fifth-placed Hertha Berlin on Sunday.
Late in the first half, referee Felix Bickel approached the VAR (Video Assisted Review) monitor to check for a possible penalty kick against Preussen. However, when he arrived at the screen, it was completely black.
Preussen Munster Fan Unplugs VAR Monitor To Try And Prevent Review
TV footage showed a person in white overalls and a ski mask in Muenster green climbing back into the home fans’ stand.
Have you ever seen anything like this?
During 2.Bundesliga match between Munster & Hertha Berlin, fans disrupted game by unplugging VAR cable.
Hertha had been awarded penalty, but ref was unable to review footage on monitor. VAR made call from Cologne.pic.twitter.com/2obPcAi040
— Sacha Pisani (@Sachk0) March 9, 2026
The blank screen left Bickel unable to carry out the review. However, there was a flaw in the fan’s plan. Instead of Bickel making a decision, VAR official Katrin Rafalaski, who is usually in charge of communicating with the head referee to come to a decision, ruled that the play was a penalty.
Hertha’s Fabian Reese converted the penalty to put his team up 1-0 entering the half. Preussen tied the match at 1-1 on a goal from Jannis Heuer one minute into the second half. But Marten Winkler’s goal in the third minute of stoppage time won it for the visitors.
Prior to the game, Preussen Munster supporters made their feelings towards VAR clear with a banner that read “Pull the plug on VAR.”
Afterward, club officials apologized for the incident.
“Preussen Munster regrets the incident and will do everything in its power to identify and bring the perpetrator[s] to justice,” a statement read. “Furthermore, immediate measures have been taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“Initial findings indicate that this was a planned action — a banner to that effect was displayed in the home section shortly after the technical malfunction.”
Preussen supporters are far from the first ones to express their displeasure with VAR. But they’re certainly the first to take such drastic measures against it.