Only after the final match of the 19th round of UPL between "Veres" and "Kolos" did the subject of refereeing come up again in football circles. This was all due to the decision made by referee Anastasia Romaniuk to indicate the 11-meter mark in added time: having converted the penalty, the hosts snatched victory (2:1). Former FIFA referee Myroslav Stupar analyzed the game episode that resulted in the penalty being awarded:
Photo: UPL"Although they say that football is a contact sport, according to the rules, only shoulder-to-shoulder challenges are allowed. In other instances, it is a violation that is punished. In the episode that occurred in the fifth added minute, the hand of the defender from Kolos, Vladi, was on the shoulder of the player from Rivne, Shevchenko. And in the fight for a more advantageous position in the penalty area, there was contact from the Kolos player, which led to Shevchenko's fall.
Referee Anastasia Romaniuk did not react immediately; she needed a prompt from the VAR referee, and only after a quite lengthy review of the video did the hosts receive the right to take the penalty.
The players of 'Kolos' are to blame for losing. After all, they did not concede in any way to 'Veres', and a draw would have been a fair outcome. But their legionnaire lost his composure in a situation where there was no direct threat to the goal, and this cost the guests the loss of a precious point."
