Idman.biz
Azerbaijani referee Aliyar Aghayev has become the focus of European media after the Champions League group stage match between Slavia (Prague) and Arsenal (London).
Idman.Biz reports that the match ended with a 3:0 victory for the London club. The main topic of discussion during the match was Aliyar Aghayev's decisions and the role of the VAR system.
In the 32nd minute, Aliyar Aghayev awarded a penalty for Slavia player Lukas Provod's handball. The penalty kick was reviewed by VAR. After this episode, Bukayo Saka opened the scoring. At the end of the game, a penalty that could have been awarded to Slavia was canceled by VAR. Both decisions have been widely discussed in both England and the Czech Republic.
"The Guardian" wrote in its live blog that "the referee approached the monitor twice with the VAR signal and made decisions in accordance with the explanation of the episodes within the rules."
The publication emphasized that all episodes were resolved consistently and in accordance with Champions League rules. The newspaper also described Slavia's canceled penalty episode as "part of Arsenal's cool and controlled game."
The British media generally took a measured and neutral stance, with the overall tone being calm and balanced.
In the Czech Republic, the procedural correctness of the decisions was also confirmed. However, the "Football Club" publication raised the issue of the severity of the Azerbaijani referee's decisions, noting that the conversation was about the interpretation of the rules.
The reaction of the fans was more emotional. According to the "Denik" newspaper, after Aliyar Aghayev canceled the penalty decision in favor of Slavia, shouts of "UEFA Mafia!" were heard from the stands. Nevertheless, the Prague club did not file an official complaint regarding the refereeing.
It should be reminded that Zeynal Zeynalov and Akif Amirali were the assistant referees who helped Aliyar Aghayev in the match in Prague. Elchin Masiyev performed the function of the fourth referee. Control over the VAR system was entrusted to Dutch specialists Rob Dieperink and Jeroen Manschot.
Teymur Tushiyev
