Referees' Association Rejects Maccabi Haifa's Demand to Remove VAR Officials

The Israeli Referees' Association has strongly rejected claims made by Maccabi Haifa Football Club following their 3-2 victory over Ironi Tiberias. The club had requested that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) official, Shlomi Ben Avraham, not be assigned to their future matches, citing dissatisfaction with decisions made during the game. Association officials expressed surprise at the timing of the request, submitted just before Yom Kippur, and criticized the club's leadership.

"It's becoming a wrong trend for clubs to request the disqualification of referees. They should focus on football and not on criticism that has no connection to reality. Clubs will not determine who referees and who sits as a VAR official," stated a source within the association. The referees' body fully backs the decisions made by the VAR team and believes the club's complaints are unfounded.

Association Chairman Giora Inbar has reportedly given full backing to the professional committee to carry out its duties without external interference. Meanwhile, Israeli referees continue to receive assignments in European competitions, where they have been receiving high marks. Last week, referee Yigal Fried officiated his first Europa League match, and another Israeli officiating team, led by David Foxman, is heading to San Marino for a UEFA U-21 Euro 2027 qualifying match.