The fight is not over: 'Be1' filed a protest regarding possible manipulation

2024-11-25 12:54

Following the end of the promotion play-off series to the Lithuanian Football A League, the Jonavos "Be1" club filed an official protest with the Lithuanian Football Federation. The silver medal winners of the First League are asking, among other things, to clarify whether the referee's actions in the last minutes of the second half of the return match were an attempt to influence the result.

After the second promotion match to the A League took place in Marijampolė on Saturday, heated discussions arose among football specialists and fans regarding the referees' actions in this match. After the main time had ended and the referee's added minutes had started, center referee Robertas Valikonis awarded a penalty kick to the Jonavos "Be1" team. Marijampolės "Sūduva," which converted the penalty, took a 1:0 lead, equalizing the two-match series (the first match in Jonavos was won by "Be1" 2:1). As a result, "Sūduva" extended the match to extra time, which ended without any goals, and later won the penalty shootout 4:2, securing their place in the A League.

According to the representatives of the "Be1" club, it is difficult to understand not only certain actions by R. Valikonis but also the entire series of them at crucial moments of the match: first of all, the very decision to award a penalty kick in the 92nd minute, as well as several other incidents. With 7 seconds remaining before the penalty kick, a clear foul against the "Be1" goalkeeper Dominykas Valeckas was not penalized in the penalty area. Moreover, during the taking of the penalty kick, the referee did not remove unauthorized individuals standing behind the "Be1" goal, who were interfering with their shouts and other actions bothering the goalkeeper. This behavior is strictly prohibited by the competition regulations. Additionally, during extra time, the referee did not allow the "Be1" team to make three player substitutions, although according to the regulations, they had the right to do so—instead, only one substitute was allowed to enter the game.

"We do not want to throw accusations or talk about individual incidents. We want only one thing—that in summary, fair play prevails. This is particularly important for the image of our football. The legitimacy and professional suitability of the referee's actions will likely be evaluated by specialists in this field. We are exercising our right to file a protest and hope that the LFF, based on the Disciplinary Code, will form a commission to investigate whether the referee's actions had a significant impact on the final result of the match. And that appropriate decisions will be made... I emphasize once again: we are not making any categorical claims until this is proven, but we seek transparency and clarity,” stated A. Markevičius.