Miroslav Stupar: "I'm surprised that VAR referee Balakin didn't draw the attention of referee Derevinsky to this..."

After the 23rd round match of the Ukrainian championship between Kryvbas and Vorskla, there was a lot of talk about the legitimacy of the penalty kick awarded to the Poltava team. Former FIFA referee and now a well-known expert Myroslav Stupar gave his assessment of the episode:

"In the 22nd minute, Oleg Kozhushko made a pass into the visitors' penalty area, which was blocked by Vorskla defender Daniil Khrypchuk in the fall. The ball hit his supporting arm, but according to the rules, this is not a violation of the rules, because the position of the arm was a consequence of the body's movement in a particular situation.

It is surprising that VAR referee Mykola Balakin did not draw the attention of referee Oleksiy Derevinsky, who made a productive mistake by awarding the penalty," Stupar said.