Serbian FA confirms no penalty error for Partizan in defeat to Železničar

Source reporting: 20 October 2026. Added to ScoreTransfer on the publication date shown above.

Frank de Bleker from the Serbian Football Association announced that no refereeing errors occurred during the 12th round of the Mozzart Bet Superliga. The analysis covered key incidents from several matches played over the weekend. De Bleker concluded that officials applied the rules correctly in the situations reviewed by the video assistant referee system.

FK Partizan lost their match against FK Železničar Pančevo, a result that prompted scrutiny of officiating decisions. The association addressed claims that Partizan were denied a legitimate penalty. Analysts determined that referees correctly refused to award a spot-kick for a handball incident inside the Železničar penalty area. The decision was based on evidence that the defender played the ball with his foot before any contact with his arm occurred.

The same match featured a significant disciplinary action against Partizan defender Mario Jurčević. He received a red card following a VAR review. The video officials identified that Jurčević had stopped a clear goal-scoring opportunity for the opposition. The Serbian FA maintained that the dismissal was the correct application of the laws of the game.

Controversy also surrounded the match between Novi Pazar and IMT, which ended in a 0:0 draw. Novi Pazar lodged complaints about the performance of referee Nikola Radaković during the fixture. Despite these objections, the central analysis did not find fault with the overall officiating standards in the context of the reviewed incidents.

IMT player Gadio was sent off during the stalemate against Novi Pazar. The initial yellow card issued on the field was upgraded to a red card after a VAR review. Frank de Bleker confirmed that this change was justified. The review showed that Gadio committed a dangerous tackle from behind at high speed, which warranted a straight red card under current regulations.

In another fixture, Čukarički faced Zemun. The referee initially awarded a penalty to Čukarički but later cancelled the decision after consulting the video monitors. The Serbian FA supported this reversal, stating that the footage clearly showed no foul had been committed. This intervention prevented an incorrect penalty from influencing the match outcome.

The analysis did not cover every match from the round. Frank de Bleker did not examine any refereeing decisions from the game between Radnički Niš and Radnik Surdulica. As a result, no official comment was provided on the officiating standards in that specific contest. The focus remained on the matches where VAR interventions or significant complaints had arisen.