Bulgarian Referee with VAR Controversy to Officiate Israel-Austria Match

The Israeli national football team is set to face Austria in Linz on Thursday in a challenging UEFA Nations League away game. The match will be officiated by Georgi Kabakov, a Bulgarian international referee who has been a FIFA referee since 2013. Kabakov has previously officiated three matches involving Israeli clubs: Maccabi Haifa's 2-1 victory over Panathinaikos, a 1-1 draw between Beitar Jerusalem and Jelgava, and Maccabi Tel Aviv's 3-0 loss to Midtjylland last season. In the matches involving Maccabi Haifa and Beitar Jerusalem, Kabakov issued a total of eight yellow cards.

However, Kabakov was involved in a refereeing scandal in Bulgaria at the start of last season. While working as a VAR official, he and his colleague approved a goal in a match between Slavia Sofia and Lokomotiv Sofia, despite a clear handball that they overlooked. This incident led to Kabakov's suspension until further notice.

The Bulgarian Football Union stated at the time, "It was decided to suspend Kabakov and Vladimir Valkov due to unsatisfactory refereeing and overlooking an illegal goal approved by them." This marked the first time the Bulgarian Referees Association had suspended a referee in such a manner in the Bulgarian league.