Croatian refereeing commission upholds Almena red card and Beljo goal cancellation

The Croatian Football Federation Refereeing Commission, led by Bertrand Layec, has validated two major decisions from the HNL match between Rudeš and Dinamo. The panel confirmed that referee Ante Čulina correctly issued a direct red card to Dinamo player Iker Almena in the 71st minute. Following a duel and subsequent pass, Almena intentionally struck a Rudeš defender in the face with his left hand. The Commission classified this action as violent conduct because the player was not challenging for the ball and used excessive force against an opponent's head.

Communication transcripts released by the Commission show VAR official Vučković confirming the red card to Čulina, citing clear intent in the strike. Despite this agreement, the incident underwent a video check. Under the Laws of the Game, violent conduct includes intentional strikes to the head or face when not contesting possession, validating the dismissal.

The Commission also upheld the cancellation of a Dinamo goal scored in the 79th minute. The ruling determined that the scorer committed a punishable handball offense during the immediate attacking phase. According to football rules, any goal scored directly from a hand or arm is invalid, regardless of whether the contact was accidental. This technical consideration formed the basis for disallowing the score.

However, the Commission criticized the procedural handling of the handball incident. Officials noted that the VAR intervention failed to adhere to protocol. Because the handball was deemed a clear and obvious factual error, the VAR should have advised the referee directly rather than recommending an on-field review. The unnecessary consultation process extended the stoppage to more than five minutes.

In a separate analysis of the Rijeka-Varaždin fixture, the Commission supported referee Strukan’s 35th-minute penalty award. Video evidence showed a Rijeka defender holding a Varaždin attacker with both arms inside the penalty area without attempting to play the ball. The panel also confirmed the yellow card sanction was appropriate, as the attacker did not have control of the ball and was close to the goalkeeper, meaning the foul did not deny an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.