After a crushing defeat in the Champions League match against Bayern — 1:5, the coaching staff of Shakhtar had complaints about the penalty awarded against the Donetsk club. Former FIFA referee and now authoritative expert Miroslav Stupar assessed the actions of the Turkish referee Umut Meler in this confrontation:
Umut Meler«In general, the match was not difficult for officiating. The strengths of the opponents were too uneven.
Regarding the penalty, two minutes before it was awarded, Bayern player Musiala scored a goal, but Meler disallowed it, considering that the Germans had fouled on the Shakhtar goalkeeper Ryznyk. There might have been a minimal touch, but according to the latest FIFA recommendations, no one pays attention to that now. It is possible that subconsciously Meler felt his guilt here. Therefore, when Shakhtar player Hram was involved in a scoring situation and touched Boye's leg, the referee, to be cautious, pointed to the 11-meter mark.
However, as for me, these referee decisions did not affect the course of events in Gelsenkirchen. Bayern was clearly stronger,» said Stupar.
