Referees' Committee Admits Critical Errors in Maccabi Tel Aviv vs. Hapoel Be'er Sheva Match

The Israeli Football Association's Referees' Committee has acknowledged two significant errors made during the recent match where Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated Hapoel Be'er Sheva 4-1. The committee's findings, released on Tuesday, indicate that both teams were negatively impacted by crucial officiating decisions.

Hapoel Be'er Sheva was particularly aggrieved by a disallowed penalty. The committee unequivocally stated that a penalty should have been awarded in the 19th minute when a handball occurred in the box. The defender's hand was open and increased his body's size as he jumped for a header. The VAR officials failed to intervene when the on-field referee missed the call.

Regarding Maccabi Tel Aviv, the committee reviewed a disallowed goal by Dor Peretz. The incident involved a foul on Ester Sukler, who subsequently scored from the penalty spot for Maccabi's second goal. The committee criticized the head referee, Yigal Fried, for not allowing the advantage rule to play out. However, they explained that the VAR upheld the decision to award a penalty instead of allowing the goal because of perceived slight contact between the goalkeeper's foot and the attacker's foot, based on the available camera angles. The VAR followed protocol by not intervening unless there was a clear error.

These admissions suggest that officiating mistakes significantly influenced the outcome of the high-profile match.