After the match between Oțelul and Csikszereda ended in a 1-1 draw, Zoltan Szondi, the president of Csikszereda, criticized the officiating during a live television appearance. Szondi directed his ire at the officiating crew led by Istvan Kovacs, focusing on the red cards issued to players Dusan Vukovic and Nino Kukovec.
Szondi argued that his team should have been awarded at least one penalty throughout the match. “Honestly, I am outraged. I do not usually comment on refereeing, but in this case, I feel compelled to speak out. We are a small team that has had two points stolen from us. I do not want to delve into who made the decisions during those plays, VAR or the central referee,” he stated.
Zoltan Szondi: “We Were Denied Clear Penalty Opportunities”
Szondi detailed an incident in the sixth minute where he believed a clear penalty was overlooked. “Our attacker was brought down in the box, and the defender held him with both arms. It was a blatant penalty, yet VAR did not intervene. I don’t understand what we need to do to get the right calls. There was absolutely no simulation on the second incident that led to our player receiving a yellow card, and shortly after, a second yellow resulting in a red card,” he continued.
He chose to avoid getting into minute details, stating that excessive analysis can cloud the main issues. Nevertheless, he emphasized that his team had control of the game and was unjustly denied at least one and a half penalties, leading to the sanction that cost them the match. “We hope not to face such injustices again. Whether apologies are issued or not is irrelevant to me,” he remarked.
Szondi also touched on the international referee’s performance, acknowledging that while Kovacs has a reputable background, he tends to make mistakes in the Superliga. “It’s not my place to judge him, but I am frustrated over the lost points. However, I am sure that Mr. Kovacs’ ethnic background has nothing to do with this issue,” Szondi concluded during the ‘Fotbal Show’ program on Prima Sport.
