The first round of the Pro League in Uzbekistan witnessed contentious moments during the match between "Aral" and "Dostlik," prompting a review by the commission of expert referees. Two incidents, in particular, drew scrutiny, raising questions about the officiating and fairness of the game, the official channel of the Center of Football Referees of Uzbekistan reported on March 14.
In the 18th minute of the encounter, "Aral" surged forward, with the ball played into the penalty area. However, controversy erupted as a "Dostlik" defender appeared to foul the "Aral" player number 17, causing him to be brought down. Despite this, the referee allowed play to continue, leading to a goal by "Aral's" player number 32, who was observed handling the ball before scoring.
Upon review, the commission of expert referees deemed the referee's decision flawed. They concluded that a penalty should have been awarded for the initial foul, and the goal scored after the handball should have been disallowed. The referee's failure to intervene in both instances was criticized as detrimental to the fairness of the game.
The second contentious incident occurred in the dying minutes of the match, during a swift counterattack by "Dostlik." "Dostlik's" player number 14, R. Roziyev, entered the opposing penalty area, collided with the goalkeeper, and fell. Despite appeals for a penalty, the referee allowed play to continue. However, the assistant referee flagged an infringement during the subsequent restart of play, leading to the ball being returned to the "Dostlik" goalkeeper.
The commission of expert referees supported the assistant referee's decision, noting that the goalkeeper's incorrect restart of play warranted the ball being returned to him, regardless of subsequent events. While the final decision was deemed correct, the controversy surrounding the incident highlighted the importance of vigilant officiating.
In light of these incidents, the chief referee of the match, Jaloliddin Khusnutdinov, received a low rating of 7.4 (unsatisfactory) from the match supervisor. Consequently, in accordance with the Code of Referee Discipline, Husnitdinov was suspended from officiating in all competitions until May 15, 2024. This suspension includes matches in the Cup of Uzbekistan, Super League, Pro League, Women's High League, and U21 league, with a fine imposed as a disciplinary measure.
Comments (0)