Miroslav Stupar, a reputable referee in the past, commented on the work of Ukrainian Mykola Balakin at the Champions League match.
Nikolay Balakin (photo: unian.net)- Mykola Balakin comes from a dynasty of referees. His grandfather was the first UEFA referee in Ukraine. Although he did not referee any major matches on the international stage, he wore a uniform with the inscription "UEFA referee", and it was very cool. Mykola's father also refereed at a high level. I often criticised young Mykola Balakin because he was very hot-tempered on the pitch. I believed that the referee was the main figure in the match, he was very harsh. But, thank God, he was not offended by this criticism, but listened to it and became what he became.
When Pierre-Luigi Collina took over our refereeing corps, we all rubbed our hands together, saying that he would provide us with a breakthrough to Europe, as they say. Now, for sure, our referees will be allowed to participate in top matches. But neither Collina nor his successor, Lucchi, did anything in this direction. They only destroyed what was there and gave nothing in return. And for the money paid to the Italians, it was possible to form a new, modern school of referees, and we would have had our representatives in the Champions League, the World Cup and the European Championships a long time ago," Stupar said, according to Expres.
