Horror scenario for referee Lionel Tschudi at Kybunpark: St.Gallen and Basel fight for every inch of turf, whipped up by 18,000 hot-blooded fans. One heated scene follows the next - the referee's report from Sunday evening.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- FC St.Gallen and FC Basel played out a hotly contested 1-1 draw at the sold-out Kybunpark on Sunday evening.
- There were several controversial refereeing decisions.
- In the blue Sport studio, referee expert Klossner analyzes the referee's performance.
Cisse's handball assist to give St.Gallen the lead
What happened?
In the 38th minute, Kybunpark is turned upside down for the first time: After a throw-in, St.Gallen's defensive boss Vallci gets to the ball in the Basel penalty area and smashes the ball into the net without compromise. 1:0 for the home team.
But TV footage shows that FCSG striker Cisse plays the ball with his arm before it falls at Vallci's feet. Does the goal still count? Yes! After radio contact with the VAR, referee Lionel Tschudi decides to award the goal.
What referee expert Klossner says
In the blue Sport studio, the scene is analyzed by refereeing expert Stephan Klossner during the break. And for him, too, the case is clear: "The VAR did everything right here," says Klossner, although he himself initially thought the goal should be disallowed.
"I spontaneously thought it was a clear handball. But then I read the regulations and it says: 'The goal only doesn't count if the scorer himself plays a handball immediately before scoring'." That was not the case in this scene, explains Klossner: "In this case, it was the passer who made an unintentional handball, which cannot be penalized per se. That's why the referee and VAR did everything right."
Avdullahu's kick against Konietzke
What happened?
Shortly after the break, there was an unpleasant scene in the St.Gallen half. FCSG jewel Corsin Konietzke turns away with the ball from Basel's Leon Avdullahu, who is standing on his ankle in a failed attempt at an open-soled tackle. Konietzke twists his ankle and is very lucky not to sustain a serious injury.
Referee Lionel Tschudi sees the situation and decides to call a foul, but does not show a yellow or red card.
This is what refereeing expert Klossner says
"For me, that's a clear red card. The risk of injury here is huge. Avdullahu has no chance of playing the ball. He hits his opponent on the ankle and it buckles. The contact is no longer on the foot, but above it. Accordingly, it's a red card."
Klossner also criticizes the fact that Tschudi did not receive any clear instructions from the video referee in this situation: "The fact that the referee didn't even give a yellow card actually says that he didn't assess the scene. That should actually prompt the VAR even more to ask the referee to look at the scene again."
Basel offside goal for the supposed 1:1
What happened?
After a Basel attack down the right, Shaqiri's cross falls to Traoré. The Ivorian doesn't need to be asked twice and scores to make it 1:1. Neither Shaqiri nor Traoré are offside during the attack and yet the linesman raises his flag. The reason: FCB striker Kevin Carlos is standing right next to FCSG goalkeeper Zigi on the goal line.
It is clear to Tschudi that Carlos, who is offside, is actively obstructing Zigi. The goal does not count. The VAR also agrees.
This is what refereeing expert Klossner says
"The assistant referee immediately and correctly ruled offside. Carlos is in an offside position and interferes with Zigi. He is active by touching the goalkeeper and the goalkeeper is therefore not able to carry out his defensive reaction immediately," is Klossner's clear opinion.
Football expert and former goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbühler agrees: "Kevin Carlos didn't have to go to Zigi at all. It was immediately clear to me that this goal had to be disallowed," says Zubi in the blue Sport studio.
Red instead of a goal - the controversial sending off against Traoré
What happened?
It was the scene of the evening. In the 72nd minute, FC Basel were once again denied an equalizing goal. This time, the assist from Traoré hits opponent Jordi Quintillà above the ankle with an open sole. First, however, he clearly plays the ball and lays it off for Kade, who scores the supposed equalizer.
In this situation, referee Tschudi initially decides to award a goal. However, he is then called to the touchline by the VAR - and changes his decision after a quick glance at the video monitor: red card for Traoré, the goal does not count.
The scene is reminiscent of a sending-off against St.Gallen captain Görtler last season. At the time, referee boss Wermelinger said afterwards: "We will talk to Uefa about the interpretation of the rules."
This is what refereeing expert Klossner says
"Traoré takes a lot of risk, he jumps into this ball at high speed. A lot of risk plus high speed, that's the reason why the VAR says here that he didn't play the ball fairly. And the result is red," Klossner analyzes, but admits: "It's a very difficult scene that I wouldn't have wanted to make as a VAR or referee."
This time, Zubi disagrees with the refereeing expert. "Quintillà puts his foot right next to it afterwards. But you can't pull your leg back. That's so unfortunate, it's brutal that you get a red card for that."
Klossner can understand Zubi's objection, but refers to the current rule book, according to which such a scene simply results in a red card.
