Referees' Association Admits Two Major Errors in Toto Cup Final

Less than a day after a heated Toto Cup final, which saw Hapoel Tel Aviv defeat Maccabi Tel Aviv 3-2, the Referees' Association on Friday acknowledged two significant officiating errors during the match. The officiating committee determined that Maccabi Tel Aviv should have been awarded a penalty kick in the first half, and that Hapoel defender Muhammad Ali Kamara should have received a direct red card in the closing minutes. The first incident occurred in first-half stoppage time when Omri Altman fouled Dor Peretz inside the penalty area. Referee Shnir Levy did not call a foul, but the committee ruled this a mistaken decision. "In first-half stoppage time, a penalty kick should have been awarded to Maccabi Tel Aviv for a foul in the box," the committee stated. "The foul occurred while the ball was controlled by a Maccabi Tel Aviv player, preventing him from continuing play. Since no penalty was called on the field, the VAR official should have intervened." The second error highlighted by the committee happened in the 86th minute, when Kamara committed a harsh foul but only received a yellow card. According to the Referees' Association's conclusions, the severity of the tackle warranted a direct red card for the Hapoel Tel Aviv defender. "The foul was committed with high intensity, brutally, and in a manner that seriously endangered the opponent's safety, therefore a red card was required for a serious foul play," the committee's decision read. In this case as well, it was determined that the VAR official should have intervened after the main referee did not issue a red card.