The VAR technology, which has been introduced in the Ekstraklasa gradually since the beginning of the 2017/18 season, has saved the referees from many mistakes, but it certainly has its drawbacks, which Śląsk Wrocław knew about during the draw with Stala Mielec. The goal scored by the visitors came from a corner kick that shouldn’t have happened – the problem is that such cases are not assessed by the VAR. This is another situation this season when the coach of Wroclaw suggested changes in the work of the referees.
In everyone’s interest
– Referees often say that we have to understand their work, but let them understand us, – shocked USK coach Ivan Djordjevic after the match against Staal. As the Serbian coach says, this situation distorted the outcome of a very important meeting in the struggle for relegation, and it also works in favor of other clubs. Let us remind you that according to the VAR protocol, the referees sitting in the car intervene only in four cases: with a goal, offside, penalty kick and misidentification of the player. A corner kick, even if it scores a goal, is not validated, as it is a new procedure.
In Wroclaw, more time passed from the moment of the foul to Rauno Sabinen’s goal at 1: 1, because the ball, having left the field clearly behind the finish line, stayed in the match for some time and only then was knocked out by the hosts’ defender. Djordjevic stresses that the missing two points may not be decisive for his team in the end, but sometimes they lead to a change of coaches. Another thing is that his team, after being tied with the worst team in the spring, may well be to blame for themselves, because, having quickly taken the initiative, they have done very little to count on the first win in a month.
Same judge
This is not the first case this season that the Śląsk coach has forcefully raised the issue of the work of first-class referees. When his side won 1-0 in Poznań in the fall round, after the final whistle, there was more talk of the mishandled penalty kick for fouling Eric Exposito in the second half. The experts noted that, despite the easily caught mistake of the entire refereeing team (VAR did not intervene), the Wroclaw players practically did not protest, but immediately focused on preparing for the next action. There was no shortage of votes that this was why the host of that meeting had not decided to go to the screen. Interestingly, Piotr Lasyk whistled on Poljarska Street and on the final round in Wroclaw.
Apparently we didn’t get a penalty because we didn’t protest. But when we protest, we get cards. Does not make sense. I am primarily for coaching, not making decisions for referees, but I just want both referees and coaches to be responsible for their work – Djurdjevich was surprised at the time. His argument at the start of the season was based on the fact that the team had adopted the principle of drawing results for every yellow card received in unnecessary discussion with the referee. Now the topic is back, and as we get closer to the crucial decisions at the bottom of the table, more similar discussions can be expected.
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