Hapoel Haifa Protests Refereeing Errors After Controversial Goal Disallowance
Translated & summarized from N12 by baba
Hapoel Haifa has sent an angry letter to the Referees Association protesting what it calls a pattern of severe officiating errors that are harming the team. The club cited a disallowed goal in its recent 2-1 win over Maccabi Petah Tikva, which the Referees Association's own committee later ruled should have stood. This incident is the third major officiating mistake Hapoel Haifa claims to have suffered this season, leading them to demand an internal review and accountability from the association.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Hapoel Haifa protested to the Referees Association over multiple perceived officiating errors.
- The club cited a disallowed goal in its recent 2-1 win over Maccabi Petah Tikva as a key example.
- The Referees Association's professional committee reportedly agreed the disallowed goal should have been allowed.
- Hapoel Haifa claims this is the third significant refereeing error against them this season.
- The club is demanding an internal review and accountability from the Referees Association.
Hapoel Haifa has lodged a formal complaint with the Referees Association following a series of perceived officiating errors, which the club claims are severely impacting its performance. The team, known as the Reds of Carmel, recently defeated Maccabi Petah Tikva 2-1, but the victory was overshadowed by the disallowance of a goal scored by Itai Zafrani.
According to the club's letter, the professional committee of the Referees Association itself determined that Zafrani's goal should have been allowed. The club stated that despite VAR intervention led by Niv Steif, referee Yoav Mizrahi incorrectly disallowed the goal, even though television replays showed that player Noam Cohen was not involved in the play. Hapoel Haifa asserted that the goal was legitimate and visible to all spectators and broadcast viewers.
The club highlighted this incident as the third significant refereeing error since the season began. They cited a previous match against Bnei Sakhnin on September 14, where a penalty kick awarded to the visiting team was later deemed incorrect by the professional committee, despite the referee, Naal Odeh, initially upholding his decision. Additionally, in the season opener against Hapoel Tel Aviv, player Ivan Kritzak was sent off and a penalty awarded for an offense that Hapoel Haifa claims occurred outside the penalty area, a decision they described as a severe error based on the interpretation of senior former referees.
Hapoel Haifa expressed its belief that this pattern of serious officiating mistakes constitutes deliberate prejudice against the team, causing significant professional damage. The club is demanding an explanation from the Referees Association on how it intends to address the failures of its officiating teams and is calling for a thorough internal review to prevent future occurrences.
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