Since the 2024–25 season, German football has applied one rule at every level, from the professional leagues to youth football. Nur der Teamkapitän darf sich nähern und den Referee ansprechen. Only the team captain may approach the referee and speak to him. A player who ignores this is cautioned with a yellow card. If the goalkeeper is captain, a field player is named before the match. A DFB referee official gave the reason. The referee no longer has to talk with several players at once while under pressure.