Myroslav Stupar: "Kozik had every reason to point to the spot in the match Dnipro-1 - Oleksandriya"

Myroslav Stupar, a well-known referee in the past, analysed the key moments of the postponed match of the 1st round of the Ukrainian championship between Dnipro-1 and Oleksandriya in a commentary forUF, in which there were again questions about the refereeing.

- Myroslav Ivanovych, don't the numerous scandals after matches between Dnipro-1 and other medal contenders show that we already have systemic problems with the arbitration of top teams?

- I wouldn't say that the referees are coming up with eleven-metre penalties in favour of Dnipro-1. "Dnipro-1 plays very actively in the opponent's penalty area, Dovbyk is probably the best centre forward in the UPL at the moment, although he did not commit a foul in the game against Oleksandriya, the team has fast and technical wings.

The reason for the majority of penalties awarded in matches against Dnipro in favour of Oleksandr Kucher's team is the activity of his players in the opponent's penalty area. First of all, Dovbyk, I repeat. Stopping him without a foul is a difficult task for many defenders.

Are the referees biased against Dnipro? No. I wouldn't say that. Although, in my opinion, there is some sympathy for the Dnipro team on the part of some referees. Let's be honest. However, I would not say that numerous penalties in favour of Dnipro are given for no reason, without breaking the rules on their players.

- Let's talk specifically about the Skorko-Nazarenko episode . Would you have pointed to 11 metres if you were Yaroslav Kozik?

- I haven't refereed matches for a long time (laughs). I can't say that nothing happened in that episode. The defender's intention to commit a foul, contact, was there. Yes, there wasn't any overly violent contact, but at that moment it wasn't necessary to hit the opponent's legs with all your might to make him fall over. It was a dynamic episode: you just need to touch the player a little bit and he will fall.

Skorko wanted to stop Nazarenko, who was opening up for a pass, with his hand. Yes, the Dnipro-1 player made a nice finish, the fall is a fact. However, I repeat - there was contact. So, Yaroslav Kozik had every reason to point to the spot. I'll put it this way: 70 per cent of the offence was a violation, and another 30 per cent was Nazarenko's acting skills. That's why we have the referee's decision - a penalty. There was a situation here when they say that it is at the discretion of the referee.

I wonder what would have happened if Kozik had not pointed to the spot? There would have been a lot of words about how he made a mistake, how he stole an almost one hundred per cent penalty from Dnipro-1, and so on. In general, I think Kozik refereed the Dnipro-1 vs Oleksandriya match very well.

- Was the sending off of Oleksandriya coach Ruslan Rotan, who couldn't contain his emotions and rushed to the opposition bench, justified?

- Yes, absolutely. It could have ended in a brawl on the part of the Oleksandriya head coach. I understand the emotions, Rotan is still young, but there is no reason to challenge his sending off, to discuss it. Ruslan is still a young coach. I am sure he will learn to keep his emotions under control.

- Why didn't Kozyk send off Dnipro-1 player Peglow? Shouldn't he have been given a red card and sent to the dugout for pushing Rotan in the chest?

- To be honest, I somehow missed this episode. So I can't comment on it. Let them sort it out at the level of the CDC.

- From the next round, VAR will be used at all Dnipro-1 and Shakhtar matches .

- I understand what you are getting at. VAR undoubtedly helps the referees a lot in resolving controversial issues - penalties, offsides, etc. However, VAR is not a panacea. I'm sure that if VAR had been available in Uzhhorod, Kozik would have given the penalty anyway.

Let's also recall an episode that took place in the Real Madrid vs Manchester City game. Before Kevin De Bruyne scored, the ball left the pitch. Bernardo Silva dropped it, but neither the head referee nor his VAR assistants noticed it. We all saw the graphics after the game.

The fact that VAR will be present at all matches of Dnipro-1 and Shakhtar will not reduce the number of potential penalties, but the referees will have a better chance of avoiding unpleasant episodes after watching video replays. In general, VAR should be available at absolutely all UPL matches, I think, and not selectively. We need everyone to be on a level playing field.

In addition, we have not yet learned to work with video replays, it seems. For example, in the Rukh vs Ingulets match, Kateryna Monzul spent five minutes watching one episode. This is not good for anything.

- Will the fate of the UPL championship be decided in the match between Shakhtar and Dnipro-1?

- Most likely, yes. However, I do not rule out the possibility that both Dnipro-1 and Shakhtar could still lose points before their head-to-head clash. Speaking of the game, I prefer Shakhtar's style now. The team plays fast and organised. Shakhtar have what you might call a game director. The players strive for victory in every match. But Dnipro-1 played poorly in the match against Oleksandriya, for example.

- What is your forecast for the gold medals ?

- I think that Igor Jovicevic's team will become the champions.