The Referees Committee of the Ukrainian Football Association jointly with consultant Nicola Rizzoli explained interpretations of specific game episodes in the Vbet League-2023/2024 and Vbet Cup Ukraine-2023/2024

17th Round (rescheduled match)

"LNZ" — "Minay". Referee — Dmitro Kubryak. VAR — Anastasiia Romanuk.

45+2 min

Player #18 ("LNZ") competes for the ball with Player #9 ("Minay"), the ball falls vertically from above, and neither player controls it. Both players look at the ball, and there is a contact (purely accidental) between their feet without either making an improper move. No foul was committed, and we remember that football is a contact sport; if no fouls are present, they cannot be penalized.

The VAR recommended to the referee to review the situation on-site (PAN), but after reviewing it correctly did not interpret the action as a foul (for reasons explained above). In such a situation, it would have been better not to intervene and not recommend PAN because the initial decision on the field (to continue play) cannot be considered an error.

1/2 Vbet Cup Ukraine

"Shakhtar" — "Chornomorets". Referee — Viktor Kopiievs'kyi. VAR — Oleksii Derevyns'kyi.

43 min

Player #79 ("Chornomorets"), while trying to compete with an opponent for the ball, touches the leg of Player #7 ("Shakhtar") who is already standing on the ground. This minor contact is a completely normal football action, and we consider it better to continue play to avoid "light" (like this) penalties.

For the previously mentioned reason, when a penalty is awarded, VAR does not need to intervene in such situations, but should allow play to continue.

"Polesia" — "Vorskla". Referee — Maxim Koziriat'kyi. VAR — Igor Pas'hal.

80 min

Player #44 ("Vorskla") clearly holds Player #28 ("Polesia") with his hands, while at the same time Player #10 ("Polesia") improperly blocks Player #44 ("Vorskla"). The Laws of the Game state that if two infringements are committed simultaneously, the more serious one should be penalized (with the aim of protecting the image of the game and punishing the most serious offenses). Therefore, in this episode, it is correct to award a penalty.

VAR needs to check whether both infringements were simultaneous or if one preceded the other. Here we see two fouls happening simultaneously, so VAR does not intervene.

22nd Round

"Veres" — "Kryvbas". Referee — Roman Blavaits'kyi. VAR — Oleksandr Omelchenko.

45+1 min

Player #87 ("Veres") reacts to a foul committed by Player #5 ("Kryvbas") with an unthinking action, which the referee deemed as unsporting behavior. On video, it is visible that this reaction is a harsh act through an additional knee movement for a punch at the opponent's face. This action could be very dangerous for the player and he was lucky not to receive a full impact; however, the movement was with force and unnecessary, so a red card should have been shown.

VAR correctly recommended PAN due to clear video evidence showing the knee hitting the face.

"Minay" — "Oleksandria". Referee — Dmitro Krivushkin. VAR — Volodymyr Novokhatnyi.

65 min

Player #3 ("Minay") tries to block a shot on goal and creates an obstacle with his body for the ball's flight, his left hand is widely extended in an unnatural position, clearly increasing its size.

This hand positioning should be penalized regardless of whether the ball hits the hand and face simultaneously. The referee's position did not allow him to see that this movement of the hand was one that needed punishment, so he correctly only stopped play for medical staff intervention.

Correctly VAR also recommended PAN due to the previously mentioned reason — clear depiction on screen showing the extended arm indicating its positioning.

79 min

Player #6 ("Oleksandria") competes with an opponent for the ball while receiving a minor (proper) push and falls on the path of his opponent. This should be considered as a standard foul (not unsporting behavior), and a yellow card should not have been shown. This was the second yellow card, resulting in a red card.

We must remember that the VAR protocol does not allow any intervention for yellow cards, even if it leads to a red card.

"Obolon" — "Shakhtar". Referee — Oleksandr Kalonov. VAR — Viktor Kopiievs'kyi.

45+4 min

Player #55 ("Obolon"), although without the opportunity to compete for the ball, commits a foul against an opponent without using excessive force. The movement is not harsh and was correctly assessed by the referee on the field (as the point of contact is low at ground level and the leg was bent). This case can be considered borderline, and therefore we consider it better for VAR not to intervene in this situation.

In such situations, we do not have the ability to make a decision on applying PAN due to previously mentioned reasons. We view this situation as borderline; hence, in any case when referees issue red cards, VAR should not recommend PAN unless it is an obvious referee error.

"Ruh" — "LNZ". Referee — Oleksandr Solov'ian. VAR — Yaroslav Kozik.

90 min

Player #8 ("LNZ") competes for the ball with an opponent and touches his leg with his foot. This situation should not be considered a trip on the leg given such minimal contact that did not affect the opponent's play. Therefore, the referee's decision was deemed correct, and VAR should not have recommended PAN to change the decision regarding the foul.

VAR is not designed to see all minor contacts in the game (football is a contact sport), and there were no clear replays that could show an obvious contact while playing with feet; we only see minimal contact.

23rd Round

"Veres" — "Obolon". Referee — Oleksandr Shandor. VAR — Andrii Kovalenko.

4 min

Player #3 ("Obolon") tries to block the ball moving in front of Player #7 ("Veres"), failing to intercept it, and commits a foul by diving in front of an attacker. This is clearly a mistake by the defender who committed an improper contact, so the referee's decision was correct, penalty without DCS.

VAR correctly conducts a quiet review checking the initial phase of attacking actions (IPAA).

"Kryvbas" — "Vorskla". Referee — Oleksii Derevyns'kyi. VAR — Mykola Balakin.

21 min

Player #44 ("Vorskla") lies on the ground to create an obstacle with his body in the path of the opponent's movement. In this case, the hand that touches the ground is extended unnaturally from the body making it larger. Considering these circumstances and following relevant criteria, the referee correctly awards a penalty without DCS as it interrupts a flank pass within the penalty area.

VAR correctly conducted a quiet review of the previously mentioned situation.

"Minay" — "Polesia". Referee — Igor Pas'hal. VAR — Dmitro Bondarenko.

17 min

Player #4 ("Minay"), who is attacking, competes for the ball with a defender when he makes a swing with his left leg to block it; at this moment, he places his foot under the opponent's movement causing physical contact. The referee did not review this properly on the field, and VAR recommended applying PAN.

After reviewing by the referee, the correct decision was made — no penalty and no DCS.

It is important to understand who initiated the contact. In this game situation, it is clearly Player #4 who placed his foot under a proper movement of the opponent (intruding into his space).

VAR correctly recommended PAN due to previously mentioned reason — presence of clear images/evidence upon review.

90+7 min

Defender #3 kicks the ball with his left leg while an attacker competes for it; there is a minor contact between the leg and hand of the attacker, which did not cause him to "dive" by pulling both legs and holding onto his face. We remind that football is a contact sport, and such light contact, especially in the area of the hand (not the face), is insufficient for awarding a penalty kick.

We do not apply or recommend PAN for such types of contacts when an attacker feels a minor touch and falls to get a light penalty.

"Chornomorets" — "Oleksandria". Referee — Denis Shurman. VAR — Oleksandr Solov'ian.

15 min

Player #26 ("Oleksandria") disrupts an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (OGSO) during a struggle with an opponent for the ball. Usually, this results in dismissal for OGSO, but when fouls occur within the penalty area and a penalty is awarded, a yellow card is issued instead. This is not considered improper pushing without competing for the ball (such a push should be made with hands), here two players are involved in football play while competing for the ball; under these circumstances, it is correct to award a penalty and YC.

Reviewing such situations, we do not have grounds for PAN as this is an inconsistent situation (not clear or obvious); we consider it insufficiently clear to recognize the decision as wrong, but we also do not recommend VAR intervention when the referee issues a red card.