Match news
Csikszereda coach criticizes referee after VAR decisions in draw with Oțelul Galați
Valentin Suciu disputed a simulation call against his player after referee Istvan Kovacs used VAR to cancel a penalty during the 1-1 Superliga draw.
2 min read
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Photograph accompanying the original ProSport report.
Photo: ProSport · Antrenorul atacă decizia lui Istvan Kovacs, luată la VAR: „Niciodată nu e simulare!” · Cropped for display
Oțelul Galați and Csikszereda played to a 1-1 draw in round 12 of the Superliga regular season on Friday. The match featured several controversial decisions by referee Istvan Kovacs that drew criticism from the visiting team.
Rafael Brito opened the scoring for Oțelul Galați in the 23rd minute. Csikszereda responded with an equalizer from Nino Kukovec. The goal stood after a VAR review confirmed there was no offside.
Tension rose in the 65th minute when Kovacs initially awarded a penalty to Csikszereda following contact between Paul Iacob and Dusan Vukovic. The referee consulted VAR and subsequently revoked the penalty decision. He instead issued a yellow card to Vukovic for simulation.
Csikszereda coach Valentin Suciu rejected the simulation label. He stated that the contact occurred on the knees and was not an act of diving. Vukovic also denied simulating, claiming Iacob struck him late while attempting to clear the ball. Iacob acknowledged touching Vukovic but argued the contact was too slight for a penalty.
The disciplinary issues continued as Vukovic received a second yellow card. Reports differ on the exact timing, with one source citing the 73rd minute for a foul in the opponent's half. Another report stated he was sent off four minutes after the simulation incident for fouling Joao Paulinho. This reduced Csikszereda to ten players.
Csikszereda were further depleted when Nino Kukovec received a second yellow card. Sources vary on whether this occurred in the 77th minute or earlier, but all confirm it left the team with nine players on the pitch. Suciu admitted that Vukovic’s first yellow card was justified due to a foolish foul, despite his objections to the second booking.
The result left Csikszereda at the bottom of the table with two points from 12 rounds. Oțelul Galați moved to 11 points, placing them in 13th position. In a separate matter, Gigi Becali was reportedly referred to the Disciplinary Commission following comments directed at referee Istvan Kovacs.
Teams in this story
Csikszereda
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