The Uzbekistan Football Association held a broad discussion of the decisions made by the referees in the final of the national cup. The event was attended by the leadership of the refereeing center, experts, media representatives, and sports journalists, the organization's press service reported.
Acting Head of the Football Referees Center of Uzbekistan, Ma'mur Saidqosimov, spoke at the meeting and shared his thoughts on the controversial episodes observed in the final match. According to him, the actions of the referees in the match between "Pakhtakor" and "Bukhara" were analyzed separately, and each decision was reviewed with the help of VAR.
"The referee's work at the match in Termez two days before the final was a small but significant mistake. I personally acknowledge this. Many considered it necessary to call a foreign referee, but in my opinion, the level of our referees is high. They are also well-received at international competitions. For example, Asker Najafaliyev worked in several decisive matches in the Indonesian championship, Tantashev was invited in the UAE, and worked in China three times," Saidkasimov said.
He emphasized that trusting local referees is a crucial factor as they demonstrate themselves on the international stage.
The meeting focused on a foul committed by Pakhtakor player Bashar Resan in the 75th minute of the final match. Although referee Naim Kasimov reviewed the situation after VAR intervention, he did not change his decision and was only shown a yellow card. Also, the goal of the "Bukhara" team, which was canceled in the 93rd minute, was in the center of the discussion.
The panel of expert judges found the referee's decision in this situation incorrect. In their opinion, Resan's actions posed a serious threat to the opponent, and that situation was the full reason for the red card.
Asker Najafaliyev defended his position at the meeting: "I still hold my opinion. 'The player in the blue shirt played with the bottom of his boot on the opponent's unprotected leg - this is a straight red card'. When the goal was disallowed, two players - Kolakovich and Tabatadze - were offside," he said.
Referee Naim Kasimov explained his decision as follows: "This situation was the border between yellow and red cards. I preferred yellow."
At the end of the meeting, Ma'mur Saidqosimov added: "The most important aspect - Rasan's foot went over the ball - was not taken into account. In this case, a red card should have been given. The referee made a mistake, we admit it."
As a reminder, Pakhtakor and Bukhara faced off in the Uzbekistan Cup final. The Tashkent team won the match with a score of 1:0 and claimed the cup.
Discussions after the final once again showed that the national championship needs to strengthen work on improving the refereeing culture and the proper use of the VAR system. Football fans note that such open discussions have increased transparency in the activities of referees.
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