Controversy in “Tonybet” Latvian Football Premier League: “Grobiņa”/LFS Beats “Liepāja” 3:2 in Seventh Round Match with VAR Drama in Liepāja

“Grobiņa”/LFS beat “Liepāja” 3:2 in the seventh round match of the “Tonybet” Latvian Football Premier League in Liepāja on Thursday. In the second half of the second half, in a controversial episode, after the intervention of VAR, “Grobina”/LFS goal was not given a penalty, a little later, the team led by Viktor Dobretsova won 3:1.

Given the resonance of the game, the extensive discussion and the ambiguous nature of the episode, the LFF Referees Department exceptionally offers an explanation of the episode sooner than the usual monthly recap.

In the explanation of the LFF Referees’ Department, it is stated that the striker of the “Liepāja” team, Danila Patijchuk, puts his foot on the ground first at a distance from the ball. In this way, Patijchuk takes control of the ball, covering it with his body. Patychuk managed to do this, and from this moment on, the defender Maksim Fyodorov takes the risk of his actions, being behind the striker. Fyodorov did not reach the ball and hit the opponent’s leg with his knee, breaking the rules.

The LFF Refereeing Department explains that the VAR correctly recommended the referee to review the episode on the pitch, so that the referee will analyze the situation again on the monitor and make a decision to award a penalty kick. However, during the review, the referee confirmed what he saw on the field, justifying his decision not to award a penalty kick by the fact that the striker, putting his foot near the ball, provoked the defender into contact.

In the opinion of the department, this interpretation of the episode is incorrect, and thus the referee mistakenly allowed the game to continue without awarding a penalty kick.

After seven rounds, “Grobiņa”/LFS is in seventh place with eight points, while “Liepāja” occupies the penultimate, ninth position with six points.