Frank De Blekere commented on the controversial episodes in the match between “Qarabag” and “Araz-Nakhchivan”

Frank De Blekere, Chairman of the AFFA Referees Committee, commented on the controversial episodes recorded in the return match between "Qarabag" and "Araz-Nakhchivan" teams in the semi-final stage of the Azerbaijan Cup.

According to "Report", he said that the punishment of Yassin Benzia, who received a yellow card in the 44th minute of the match as part of the Aghdam representative, was the right decision:

"Yassin Benzia wants to hit the ball while fighting for the ball in the center of the field, but hits the foot of the "Araz-Nakhchivan" player with his left foot. The referee assesses this as a reckless act and shows a yellow card. Since this is a low-intensity and low-impact light "contact", the yellow card given for reckless play is a correct assessment. If this was a full "contact", high-intensity and impactful tackle, then a red card would have been expected for a serious foul".

The experienced expert stated that Qarabag's goal after the Araz-Nakhchivan player fell in the 64th minute was within the rules:

"In a fast run and fight for the ball, Araz-Nakhchivan player Felipe Santos falls. The referee in a good position continues the game and Qarabag scores in the next attack. VAR looks at the images after the goal, and also checks the previous episode, determining that there was no foul against the Araz-Nakhchivan player (APP). The goal is correctly confirmed".

Frank De Blekere commented on the penalty episode assigned to the Nakhchivan representative's goal in the 75th minute as follows:

"During Qarabag's attack, Leandro Andrade moves in the penalty area. He passes and the ball first hits the body of Araz-Nakhchivan defender Urfan Abbasov, and then his arm. The referee awards a penalty. If the ball comes from the body first, the arm is above the shoulder and moving towards the ball (according to UEFA Instructions), the penalty decision is considered correct".