Referees' Association Admits to Critical Errors in Bnei Yehuda's Cup Match

The Israel Football Association's Refereeing Committee has acknowledged that referee Aviad Shiloh made three critical errors that disadvantaged Bnei Yehuda during their State Cup match against MS Ashdod. The committee's chairman, Ziv Adler, confirmed in a letter to Bnei Yehuda CEO Oshri Dadai that Shiloh's mistakes, including a wrongly awarded penalty to Ashdod, likely decided the outcome of the game.

According to the committee's review, a penalty should have been awarded to Bnei Yehuda in the 64th minute for a foul on an attacker. Additionally, Ashdod player Max Grechkin should have received a second yellow card in the 111th minute, and the penalty awarded to Ashdod in the 121st minute was incorrectly given, as the handball was not intentional and the player's arm was close to his body.

The committee expressed dissatisfaction with Shiloh's performance, stating that the errors were significant and would be reflected in his review. However, they firmly rejected any suggestions of bias, emphasizing that these were purely professional mistakes. The association also noted that a Bnei Yehuda player should have been sent off with a second yellow card in the 96th minute.

Bnei Yehuda welcomed the referees' association's acknowledgment of the errors but expressed frustration, stating that the mistakes led to their elimination from the cup. The club questioned who would be held responsible and what steps would be taken to prevent future occurrences, arguing that while refereeing mistakes are part of the game, three decisive errors against one team in a single match cannot be dismissed as routine.