UAF recognises referee's mistake in Minaj vs Obolon match

The UAF Referees Committee has confirmed that the head referee of the match of the 9th round of the Ukrainian Championship between Minaj and Obolon made a mistake by not awarding a penalty.

"Minaj vs Obolon. Referee: Oleksandr Afanasiev

88 mins.

Decision on the field: no penalty, no card.

Correct decision: penalty without a card.

Explanation/reasoning: Although the referee took a good position, he made a mistake by not awarding a penalty for pushing player #17 of FC Minaj. Defender #19 of FC Obolon actually pushes the attacker in the back in an obvious way, which causes him to fall and prevents him from continuing his own actions. The referee should have awarded a penalty. In a situation like this, the assistant referee No. 1, who was in the perfect position, should have helped the referee to make the right decision.

VAR: Unfortunately, the VAR was not present at this match, but if he had been, he would have certainly drawn the referee's attention to this episode and suggested that he review the video for a penalty.