Idman.biz
Although the first 3 rounds of the Azerbaijan Premier League are behind us, the topic of refereeing is already at the center of discussions. Clubs, coaches and fans are dissatisfied with the decisions of the referees and do not hesitate to voice this both at press conferences and in information resources.
Idman.biz reports that yesterday "Neftchi TV" published 2 controversial episodes (Ribeyro's red card and the decision not to award a penalty) from the game between the club it represents and "Turan Tovuz" with comments by Turkish referee Deniz Ateş Bitnel. This was not unambiguously received by the football community - some referees considered the Turkish referee right, while others stated that the decisions were correct. But the main question remains unanswered - how ready are Azerbaijani referees for the new season of the Premier League?
Veteran referee Khagani Mammadov, who gave a statement to "Futbolpress.az" regarding the topic, first commented on the controversial episodes:
"Regarding "Neftchi"'s match, I can say that both the red card and the unawarded penalty decisions were correct. If you look closely at the episodes, Ribeyro's action resembles an aggressive blow, not a slight push of the opponent. In the situation where "Neftchi" was expecting a penalty, the ball first hits the foot of the "Turan Tovuz" defender, and then the "Neftchi" striker touches it.
Another problem is that the Turkish referee gave his opinion before the Referees Committee. Why are they silent? Regardless of who gives what opinion, the rules of football determine the correctness of the decisions. As you can see from my explanation, Aliyar's decisions are correct."
Mammadov also noted that Azerbaijani referees in general are not well prepared for the season:
"Looking at the first 3 rounds, we see that the referees are not ready for the season. In general, I do not think that Azerbaijani referees have achieved any development, except for the fact that some referees receive appointments for international games. Look, we still don't have a referee from the regions. Why is this not developed? Why are referees not trained in the regions?
There are one or two games in the first rounds where the referees were not discussed, and the games themselves were not so tense. But as soon as the games get a little tense, the shortcomings of the referees come to light. The problem is that there is so much dissatisfaction, but the Referees Committee does not comment on these protests and dissatisfactions."
The expert noted that both the committee and the referees should use the break to correct their mistakes:
"The season has just started, so it is possible to intervene in time and fix something. Referees should use the national break to look at their mistakes, draw conclusions from them and perform better in the remaining parts of the season.
Many referees talk about public pressure, but they do not take into account that in the 1990s, armed "OMON" soldiers stood behind the side referees and gave them instructions. Where should we write that pressure?
Currently, the PFL has created all the conditions for the referees, and the only thing that depends on them is to go out and manage their games. Nothing else".
Idman.biz
