Former FIFA referee and now reputable expert Miroslav Stupar assessed the refereeing in yesterday’s match of the 12th round of the Ukrainian championship between Kyiv’s Dynamo and Cherkasy’s LNZ (0:1).
Miroslav Stupar«I can’t even remember the last time our leading referee Mykola Balakin performed his duties so unconfidently. I don’t rule out that he was under psychological pressure, as this is not the first time, living in Kyiv, that he officiated matches involving the local team. Even a small mistake could have been perceived ambiguously.
I have no right to accuse Balakin of bias, but I have no doubt that there was nervousness in his actions. Already in the debut, the referee could have punished Dynamo with a penalty when Mykhailenko was trying to play the ball, and the quick Prosper broke through to the goal. For some reason, the VAR referee Denys Shurman did not react to this violation either.
In the second half, the referee hurried to point to the penalty mark after Denys Popov fell in the penalty area of the guests. However, after a hint from Shurman and a video replay of the episode, he canceled his decision. He did the right thing because there was mutual struggle in this game moment between Popov and Cherkasy player Nazariy Muravsky.
And in the added time of the second half, Balakin showed Taras Mikhavko a yellow card, although the Dynamo player did not break the rules,» said Stupar.
