Israeli Referees Committee Head Addresses Controversial Calls

Ziv Adler, chairman of the Israeli Referees Association's professional committee, addressed several contentious refereeing decisions in recent Israeli football matches. He acknowledged a mistake in approving a goal for Manchester City against Manchester United, which he stated was admitted by the VAR team and decided the derby. Adler emphasized that referees, like players and coaches, are human and prone to errors, with the goal being to minimize them.

Regarding the Tel Aviv derby, Adler defended the yellow cards issued to Stav Touriyal and Ohad Davidah, explaining that Davidah's initial card was for provocative actions, and Touriyal's was for escalating a confrontation. He stated that UEFA guidelines mandate yellow cards for both players involved in such melees, and the referee handled the situation appropriately. Adler also justified the disallowed goal for Maccabi Tel Aviv's Ester Sukler, deeming it a correct call due to accidental stepping on an opponent, which created an advantage.

Adler commented on the red card for Eliel Peretz, suggesting the referee could have handled it differently, but also placed some responsibility on Peretz for not de-escalating the situation. He addressed criticism from Bnei Yehuda coach Ran Kochuch, agreeing that coaches and referees must communicate respectfully. Adler stated he reviewed interactions between the referee and Kochuch and found the referee's conduct to be respectful, offering to review the incidents further.

Looking ahead, Adler expressed satisfaction with the performance of Israeli referees in European competitions, noting four officiating teams are assigned to international matches. He also provided an update on referee Sapir Berman, who failed a fitness test but is working on improvement and expected to return soon. Adler highlighted the positive impact of new rules on increasing actual playing time in matches, noting a ten percent rise in net playing time, aligning Israeli leagues with top European standards.