FK Željezničar complained with a new statement about the refereeing in the match against Velež in Grbavica, which was played last weekend as part of the 13th round of the WWin League BiH.
From this club, they have already complained several times about the referee’s decisions, which they do not consider correct, and about the omissions in the matches they played.
We transmit the press release below:
FK Željezničar would like to inform the fans and the general public that The club filed an Objection to the refereeing in the last match against FK Velež today.
FK Željezničar believes that during the aforementioned match serious mistakes made in the application of the Rules of the football game, which directly affected the outcome of the match. In the Objection that we submitted to the Committee for Trial and Judges, we stated the following:
1. Disputed situation – awarded penalty in the 6th minute of the match
At that time, the judge Irfan Peljto awarded a penalty kick to FK Velež after the ball, having previously bounced off the body of another player (Deni Milošević), changed direction and hit by accident our player Dan Lagumdzija in the hand.
By analyzing the footage and the correct application of the Rules of the Football Game (IFAB 2024/25 – “Handling the ball”), it is clear that in this situation there was no intentionnor did Lagumdžija’s hand make the body “unnaturally bigger”.
The rules specify:
“Not every touch of a player’s hand/arm with the ball is an offense. It is an offense if a player deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm, or when the position of the hand/arm makes the body unnaturally bigger.”
Given that it is the ball came from a very short distanceafter the bounce, and if the player was in natural motion, this situation does not meet the criteria for punishing handball.
The court’s decision to award a penalty kick represents an incorrect application of the rules and directly affected the outcome of the match.
2. Disputed situation – FC Velež’s goal after a handball (action that preceded the second goal)
In the action that preceded the second goal of FK Velež in the 84th minute, it is evident that the player of the visiting team played with his hand 24 seconds before the goalby which he gained an advantage and started an attacking sequence from which a goal was immediately scored. Please note that there was no change in possession of the ball in the specified period.
According to the IFAB Laws of the Game (2024/25, “Handling the ball”), any handling that directly or indirectly leads to a goal must result in the goal being disallowed.
“It is an offense if the player deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm, for example moving the hand/arm towards the ball, or touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger.”
The VAR system, according to available information and available footage, did not perform a sufficient and comprehensive review of the actionthat is, he did not “return” the analysis far enough back (24 seconds) to determine the previous irregularity. This missed the application of the rules and made it impossible to make a correct decision on canceling the goal.
We can also refer to the situation that preceded it goal of FK Željezničar in the match against NK Široki Brijegwhen on the intervention of the VAR room, the goal was canceled due to an irregularity (in this case “offside” position), although in this case the possession of the ball was also changed several times.
We would also refer to the situation in the 38th minute when the player is FK Velež, Nermin Haskichit our player Marina Karamarka elbow to the head, for which he received a yellow card, and the VAR room did not react to establish that such a blow should have been punished with a red card. Here we refer to the IFAB rules of the game which characterize the above as violent behaviorpunishable by a red card:
“Violent conduct is when a player uses or attempts to use excessive force or brutality against an opponent when not challenging for the ball. A player who uses excessive force when challenging for the ball and strikes an opponent, regardless of whether contact is made, must be sent off.”
Based on the above, FK Željezničar demands from the Refereeing Committee and judges of NS/FS BiH that:
- Initiate the procedure to determine the responsibility of match officials;
- Determined improper application of the Rules of the Football Game (IFAB 2024/25 – “Handling the ball”) in the 6th minute and in the action that preceded the second goal of FC Velež;
- Ask for an official one VAR room report on volume and the duration of the video analysis of the second disputed situation in the 84th minute;
- Take appropriate measures against responsible persons in accordance with the Statute and Propositions of the competition;
- Make a recommendation for additional education and more accurate interpretation of situations involving unintentional handball and the use of VAR technology.
For all of the above, the Club also submitted videos, it is stated in the press release of the club from Grbavica.
(www.jabuka.tv)
