Referees Committee Rules Haifa Penalty Call Incorrect After VAR Review

The Professional Referees Committee of the Israeli Football Association released its findings regarding a controversial penalty awarded to Maccabi Haifa late in their 2-1 loss to Hapoel Ramat Gan. The main referee, Omer Biran, initially pointed to the penalty spot in the 84th minute, citing a foul by Moshe Semel on Andrija Novaković. Despite a VAR official recommending overturning the call, Biran upheld the penalty decision, which was ultimately missed by Eitan Azulay. The committee stated that no foul had occurred and criticized the referee for not accepting the VAR advice and for taking an excessively long time to review the incident, contrary to committee guidelines.

Hapoel Ramat Gan's coach, Masai Dago, expressed strong frustration with the refereeing, highlighting inconsistent foul calls against his players and the prolonged VAR review despite clear evidence that Semel touched the ball. Dago also criticized the referee's disciplinary decisions and questioned the overall quality of officiating in the Israeli Premier League. The committee's statement and Dago's comments underscore ongoing concerns about refereeing standards and VAR implementation in Israeli football.