"I didn't know that it would get into the media": why helping Slutsky could cost UEFA referee Kuypers his work at Euro 2020

The refereeing scandal in the match of the first round of the Russian Premier League (RPL), in which Rubin hosted Lokomotiv, received an unexpected continuation. The head coach of the hosts, Leonid Slutsky, said that he talked with the authoritative judge Bjorn Kuipers. He confirmed that after the collision of striker Ivan Ignatiev and goalkeeper Marinato Guilherme, Sergei Ivanov should have awarded a penalty. However, it turned out that the Dutchman did not know that he was expressing his position to the coach, as he confused him with the Deputy Refereeing Department of the Russian Football Union (RFU) Leonid Kaloshin.

“I am often asked such questions. You say that Slutsky wrote to me? It said it was Leonidas. I thought the question came from a judge from Russia, with whom we work together. I don't know what will happen now. I can't even imagine. I just replied, not knowing that this was a message from the coach, that my words would get into the media. I can only say that my opinion is appreciated in Russia, "Sport Express quotes Kuypers.

The fact is that Kuypers is the current referee of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). In accordance with the regulations, referees are prohibited from publicly commenting on the actions of colleagues at tournaments held under the auspices of the organization. It is not yet known what threatens the Dutchman with violation of this rule, however, according to media reports, he may lose his job at Euro 2020, postponed to 2021.

Recall that Slutsky reacted so emotionally to the episode with Ignatiev and Guilherme, which occurred in the middle of the first half, that during the break, Ivanov had to remove him. After the end of the match, in which Lokomotiv won with a score of 2: 0, the specialist continued to violently express his dissatisfaction with the work of the referees. He demanded to conduct proceedings and remove the arbitrator for life, although he admitted that he allowed himself to be harsh.

“I was ready for the fact that if Ivanov admits a mistake, then there are no questions. But when he began to say that there was no penalty ... You already killed the team, you deprived us of possible points in the first game, everything else. And why continue to make idiots out of us, to say that there was no 11-meter, I looked at everything? Of course, if you see a white plate, and he is a black one, you need to come to some kind of consensus, ”Slutsky said at a post-match press conference.

For his incontinence, the mentor was summoned to the Control and Disciplinary Committee (FTC). He was supported by the general director of Rubin Rustem Saimanov. He also lamented that the referees refused to watch the replay of the episode, noting that "VAR does not help the referees, but covers up their mistakes." The functionary appealed to the leadership of the RFU and the judiciary with a request to understand the current situation.

“I saw tears in Slutsky's eyes after the match. It's a huge work, people live by it. For Viktorovich, football is everything, he is in it for 24 hours. And then they take and kill all the work. Remember Viktor Goncharenko? Indeed, make the face simpler. Let's be more open, no one yells, no one fights. Explain simply ”, - quotes Saimanov“ Championship ”.

The situation in the match "Rubin" - "Lokomotiv" could not but recall the referee scandal around the match "Spartak" - "Sochi", which took place just three days ago. But, unlike the owner of the red-and-white Leonid Fedun, Saimanov decided to refrain from making loud statements and assured that Kazan would not withdraw from the RPL draw.

It should be noted that Lokomotiv did not agree with the opponent's opinion about the unassigned penalty. According to head coach Marko Nikolic, Ivanov made the right decision, as Ignatiev violated the rules, hitting Guilherme. His words were confirmed by the Brazilian himself.

“Difficult game yesterday! And one episode that everyone is discussing is not easy and very controversial. But when viewed from this point of view, it becomes clear that this is not a violation. The opponent, feeling that he lost control of the ball, rushes at me with the risk of injury, ”explained Guilherme.

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Posted by Marinato Guilherme (@ marinatog1) Aug 12, 2020 at 3:30 PDT

Many experts also admitted that there was no 11-meter. The head coach of Zenit-2 Vladislav Radimov was surprised that such a fuss arose around this episode, so, in his opinion, it was interpreted unambiguously.

“Ignatiev missed the ball, hit Guilherme. If such a penalty had been given, the scandal would have been even greater. For me, it's definitely not 11 meters. The striker slipped and lost his balance, the usual game joint, ”said Radimov.

At the same time, the well-known referee Alexei Nikolaev should have punished not Guilherma, but Lokomotiv defender Maciej Rybus.

“Microscopic contact is enough to interfere with the attacker's coordination at speed. Therefore, we can say that in this situation Rybus breaks the rules. It is quite possible that an 11-meter shot should have been ordered. This is a penalty for pushing a defender, and not for contact with Guilherme, "Nikolayev explained on Match TV.