RefCam in Der Klassiker with Sven Jablonski
Referee Sven Jablonski was kitted up with a RefCam for last November's Der Klassiker between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich to give a unique perspective of Germany's biggest fixture.
RefCam allows supporters to take in matches from the point of view of the man in the middle - not only does it transmit the high-stakes intensity and display stunning imagery, but it also gives greater transparency to the referee's decisions.
This technical innovation was first used by official Daniel Schlager on Matchday 23 of the 2023/24 campaign as Eintracht Frankfurt hosted Wolfsburg and. This time it was Jablonski with the camera and microphone in his first Klassiker as the main referee. Not only did it show off the heart of the action, but also picked up the referee's conversations with his assistants, VAR colleagues and players.
Watch: Jamie Gittens' Klassiker goal seen from RefCam
Viewers were treated to a front row seat of Jablonski's pre-match talk with captains Nico Schlotterbeck and Manuel Neuer, as well as his attempts to help an important game flow. There were several interesting moments, including Jablonski responding to Gregor Kobel questioning a decision by saying, "Calm down, I have everything under control!". All in all, this is well worth a watch for any Bundesliga and football follower!
Related news
German clubs in Europe: fixtures, results and draws
Seven Bundesliga teams started the season in UEFA competitions across the Champions, Europa and Conference League. Find out how they've been getting on here...
Matchday 27 probable teams
Díaz and Tah are among the several Bayern players suspended for their game at home to Union.
Fantasy tips for Matchday 27
Not sure which players should be in your Fantasy team? We've got you covered...