Romanian Referee Radu Petrescu Under Scrutiny Ahead of Kosovo Match

Romanian referee Radu Petrescu, set to officiate the upcoming UEFA Nations League match between Israel and Kosovo in Debrecen, Hungary, has faced significant criticism in his home country due to a past officiating error. Petrescu was suspended for 12 games, later reduced to 10, after stopping a match between Argus and Petrolul without apparent reason, preventing Argus from potentially scoring a winning goal. This incident led to widespread condemnation in Romania, with local media dubbing it a "huge scandal."

Petrescu has previously officiated three matches involving Israeli teams in European competitions. He refereed Maccabi Tel Aviv's Europa League qualifier against Paphos in the summer of 2025, a game notable for its unusual goalkeeper situation. He also oversaw Maccabi Tel Aviv's 2-2 draw with Radnicki Nis in the 2018/19 season and Hapoel Be'er Sheva's 4-2 loss to Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League, where Elton Acolatse scored twice.

Additionally, Petrescu refereed the Israeli U-21 team's 3-2 defeat against Germany in the Euro qualifiers. A point of contention for Kosovo is that Romania does not officially recognize Kosovo as an independent state, adding a layer of political sensitivity to Petrescu's appointment for this match.