Referees Union Backs VAR Officials Amid Maccabi Haifa Complaints

The Israeli Referees Association has fully backed the decisions made by VAR officials, led by Shlomi Ben Avraham, during the recent match between Maccabi Haifa and Ironi Tiberias. The association expressed surprise at the complaints lodged by the management of the Haifa club.

A source within the association questioned the timing of Maccabi Haifa's request, submitted just before Yom Kippur, to exclude the VAR referee from their future matches. The club also sought a professional explanation for the decisions made during the game.

Another source from the association criticized the emerging trend of clubs attempting to disqualify referees, stating, "It has become a wrong trend for clubs to request the disqualification of referees. They should focus on football and not on criticism that has no basis in reality. Clubs will not determine who referees or who sits as a VAR official."

This firm stance was reiterated in recent meetings by the Chairman of the Referees Association, Giora Inbar, who has pledged full support to the professional committee in carrying out its duties. Meanwhile, Israeli referees continue to receive international assignments, earning high marks in European competitions. Last week, Yigal Fried officiated his first Europa League match, and an Israeli officiating team led by David Foxman is heading to San Marino to officiate a UEFA Euro 2027 U21 qualifying match, accompanied by assistant referees Guy Klipper and Mati Yaakobov, and fourth official Dekel Tziono.