Champion of the USSR, Russia and the Olympic Games Andrei Kovalenko criticized the refereeing of the Fonbet KHL championship game “Neftekhimik” — “Torpedo” (2:3), in which, in his view, a number of gross errors were made on both sides.
In Neftekhimik, Anthony Camara (48, 51) scored twice, Alexey Kruchinin (6), Igor Larionov (16) and Mark Marin (34) scored goals for the Nizhny Novgorod team.
– Since the third period, your son, forward of the first link of “Torpedo” Nikolay Kovalenko, did not play – after being hit in the face with a stick, which clearly affected the actions of the team. How serious is the injury?
– Yes, the coaches were forced to remove Nikolai from the game. We spoke to him on the phone after the game, when he was on the bus. He really wants to play in the next tentative game with Ak Bars. I hope he can.
– Fans discussed what penalty the referees should have given for this backhand kick – “2+2” or “5+20”?
– Here I am an interested person, so I would not like to give public evaluations. I was surprised by something else: the central match of the day, broadcast on – and what refereeing! He missed not only a big foul on Nikolai, but also several more obvious violations – back and forth.
And it was all live, when the TV people rehearsed each questionable episode multiple times. Commentator Sergey Gimaev Jr. is a great diplomat, he does not like to scold referees, but here, as a professional, it was difficult for him to avoid criticism.
The most interesting thing is that this match was not extremely difficult for the referees. “Torpedo” plays on puck control, in combination, in 60 minutes he has only nine power moves to his name – unlike “Neftekhimik” with his 22 moves.
– So what is the reason for such arbitration?
– I understand that the match was served by young referees who are just starting their careers and who still have bumps. So here the question is not so much for them, but for the people who appoint the referees for the main game of the day. Probably, not everyone was initially ready for the fact that the Nizhnekamsk duel would become central on television.
I know that KFOR can correct bad refereeing decisions retroactively – as happened the day before with the Salavat match, when the Minsk striker’s penalty was canceled. It seems to me that it makes sense for the commission to also study the match in Nizhnekamsk. And the refereeing leadership needs to learn from it,” Kovalenko told Russia‑Hockey.ru.
Torpedo has six points from four games, while Neftekhimik has one point from five games.
Russia-Hockey
Source : MatchTV
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
