Referee watch: Aberdeen loses their chance to advance in the Europa League due to a controversial decision
Espen Eskås of Norway officiated this match, with Portuguese official Tiago Martins providing VAR assistance. What was the outcome for the referee and his team? The referee’s performance undoubtedly contributed to the hosts’ 3-0 triumph.
The tone was set early by a rush of early reservations for the guests. It was a quintessential case of the home team bias that is commonly observed in Europe. A referee’s judgement may be affected by an antagonistic environment. I believe that Alexander Jensen’s first caution served as evidence of this. Due to Dimitar Mitov’s poor back-row distribution, Jensen was justifiably penalised for pulling his man out without looking at the ball.
Jensen committed a very identical foul just prior to the VAR check. There was no booking given by the referee. His definition of a caution was completely inconsistent. Let’s move on to the VAR dispute. My initial reaction when watching the game was that the FCSB player had dived when he was taken down by Jensen’s challenge. He was searching for a penalty and contact, but neither was present. I was shocked when the referee was called to the monitor.
I didn’t know he had given Jensen a handball penalty until halftime, when I was able to view a replay. It’s rather harsh. It is disgusting that a second yellow and red card was given. We shall discuss the handball decision first. None of the FCSB players, supporters, or employees would have claimed that it was handball if you asked them. I think Jensen is being treated so harshly. What the referee wants him to do with his arms is unclear to me.
Less than a yard away, the ball was played backwards onto his hand. when he is running in full stride. It is still a fairly severe punishment to impose, even if the “Laws of the Game” are interpreted differently in Europe. But only if that is judged a handball by the referee and VAR. Jensen’s dismissal was an entirely incorrect judgement. According to the referee, Jensen either prevented a possible goal-scoring opportunity or purposefully played the ball with his hand.
Here, neither is true. When the ball lands in Jensen’s hand, it is played backwards and away from the goal. That doesn’t negate a chance to score a goal. It was also undoubtedly not a calculated play. I can tell it’s an inadvertent handball based on the distance to the ball and the arm placement. In my opinion, the referee was quite subpar overall. He made the crucial decision in the game entirely incorrectly and was inconsistent.
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