Former FIFA referee Sergey Shebek commented on the episodes of the qualifying match for the 2026 World Cup Azerbaijan – Ukraine (1:1), related to the awarding of penalties.
Recall that in the third minute of the match, the main referee initially pointed to the "spot" for a foul on the Ukrainian national team forward Vladislav Vanat, but then, after using VAR, canceled his decision. In the second half, again after using VAR, a penalty was awarded against the “blue and yellow” for a handball by Alexander Zinchenko.
Sergey Shebek“Vanat ran away from the defender, who lightly put his hand on his shoulder, after which the forward fell as if he was hit on the head with a mallet. Why did Vanat start writhing and holding his face? It is unclear. Instead of continuing to move towards the goal in an attempt to score, the “Spaniard” decided to enhance his fall after the touch of the hand to draw a penalty kick.
To the referee, it seemed in motion that Vanat was indeed held by the shoulder, but the VAR referee examined it closely, perceiving such a fall as deception. And one can agree with him. And Vanat needs to be advised: ‘Don’t fall from a touch of a hand and the wind.’
The fateful hand of Zinchenko. This is called a “televised” penalty, where no one saw anything, except the TV screen. And, of course, such penalties are not desired. A cross went into the penalty area, Zinchenko jumped together with the forward in an attempt to fight for the ball. The attacker played ahead, barely touching the ball with his head, which ricocheted into our player’s hand.
Zinchenko couldn’t jump up like a soldier while keeping his hands down. His hand movement was natural, the distance between the combatants was almost non-existent, body to body. The hand was not raised above the head, but was bent at shoulder level, where the ball hit. Even the forward did not see this touch, play continued, and it would have been better that way.
What if there had been no VAR? Nobody would have paid attention to it. And what if the referee in the field, after viewing, had kept his original decision not to award a penalty?! He could only have been applauded for his courageous and intelligent insight. It seems he was confused by the fact that the ball was heading towards the goal. A very controversial decision. And it’s still unclear why he showed Zinchenko a yellow card? After all, there was no intentional handball, the ball simply hit the hand. I repeat: it would be better for football not to see such penalties,” said Shebek.
Episodes with penalties in the Azerbaijan – Ukraine match:
