Lithuanian referee Donatas Rumsas offered his apologies to the University of Craiova following their elimination from the European League after a match in Yerevan. He acknowledged a mistake for not awarding a foul outside the penalty area on Nsimba, which preceded the penalty kick that allowed Ararat-Armenia to secure a 1-0 victory.
The match saw University of Craiova narrowly missing their debut in the Europa League group stage, following a disappointing result in Yerevan. The only goal of the game was scored from a repeated penalty in the 90th minute, executed by Lima after Laurențiu Popescu had saved the initial attempt.
Post-Match Apology from the Referee
An important detail contributed to the final score and the eventual elimination of Craiova. During the lead-up to the penalty awarded to the Armenians, which was not contested by Craiova, a penalty was sought by the University for a foul on Steven Nsimba.
According to protocol, referee Donatas Rumsas consulted the VAR officials regarding the incident, who informed him that it was not a penalty. Polish referees Tomas Kwiatkowski and Piotr Urban were present in the VAR room.
“At the end of the match, the referee approached our delegation and apologized to one of the club representatives. He stated that he misinterpreted the incident involving Nsimba and only realized moments later, after the game had resumed, that it was a foul outside the area, about 17 meters away,” shared a Craiova official with GSP.ro.
The VAR system is designed to inform referees whether a foul should be a penalty or if it warrants further action, such as a red card. Unofficially, referees sometimes consult with VAR officials, which explains the delay in communication.
Rumsas felt guilty for not awarding the foul on Nsimba, as it directly influenced the decisive play for the Armenians’ goal,” added the Craiova representatives.
Match Review Conducted Post-Game
Following the match, the match observer reviewed key phases of play with the officiating crew. The home club is required to provide a recorded copy of the match to the UEFA official for discussion of specific details. This procedure was followed in Yerevan, where the Baltic referee’s failure to award the foul on Nsimba was highlighted as a significant oversight.
