Idman.biz
"Referee errors should not go unpunished, a competitive environment should be created."
These words were spoken by Rustam Rahimov, a referee of all-Union category, while talking about the current state of refereeing in Azerbaijan.
The deputy chairman of the AFFA Veterans Union stated that referee errors are observed not only in Azerbaijan, but also in the championships of other countries.
"There are also referee errors in Italy, Spain and other countries. It would not be correct to say that refereeing in Azerbaijani football is in an ideal state. Referees have always made mistakes, and this is a natural phenomenon in football," he said in a statement to AZERTAC.
R.Rahimov noted that after the introduction of the VAR system, incomprehensible decisions sometimes arise: "Sometimes VAR helps, and sometimes it does not have the expected effect. In this case, it is not right to put all the responsibility on the chief referee. More work needs to be done on this system to reduce the number of errors."
The veteran referee also touched upon the activities of the AFFA Referees Committee: "Currently, the committee is headed by Rahim Hasanov. He is a professional and an expert who knows his job well. Conditions must be created for him to continue his activities. In general, the Referees Committee is currently working hard. Young and promising referees are growing up in the country. The assignment of an international appointment by UEFA to Tural Gurbanov's team is an indicator of this. Such referees should be given more chances and they should be supported."
He spoke about the importance of not hiding referee errors: "Mistakes should be discussed openly. A competitive environment must be created so that referees can develop. If errors go unpunished, this reduces the sense of responsibility. Referees should know that if they make a mistake, there are other candidates who can replace them. Currently, Aliyar Agayev is one of the high-level referees in the country, and this has a positive impact on the overall competitive environment. There are many games in the country's championships, and more professional referees are needed to manage them. Therefore, both competition should be increased and new referees should be trained."
R.Rahimov also emphasized the importance of carefully investigating suspicious issues related to refereeing: "Sometimes various claims are made by club leaders, and this creates certain suspicions. But it is not right to say anything without concrete facts. Such issues must be investigated, analyzed and, as a result, correct decisions must be made."
Let us remind that AFFA has confirmed that FIFA referee Aliyar Agayev made a wrong decision in two episodes in the "Turan Tovuz" - "Zira" (0:2) match held in the semi-final stage of the Azerbaijan Cup.
