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ARMENIA PROTEST TO UEFA OVER REFEREEING IN EURO 2012 DEFEAT BY IRELAND
guardian.co.uk
Thursday 13 October 2011 13.35 BST
Armenia's goalkeeper Roman Berezovsky reacts after being sent off
against Ireland. Photograph: Peter Morrison/AP Armenia's FA have
filed an official protest to Uefa over the refereeing in their Euro
2012 qualifying defeat to Ireland.
Armenia needed to win their final Group B qualifier to finish second
and make the play-offs, but lost 2-1 on Tuesday after their goalkeeper
Roman Berezovsky was sent off by the Spanish referee Eduardo Gonzalez
after 26 minutes.
Berezovsky was dismissed for handball outside his area but replays
clearly showed he chested the ball clear.
The FA head Ruben Airapetyan told reporters that the Armenians want
Uefa to cancel Berezovsky's red card rather than punish the referee.
Replays also showed the referee allowed play to continue after it
appeared the Ireland striker Simon Cox did handle the ball moments
before Berezovsky was wrongly adjudged to have done so. Gonzalez
later sent off Ireland's Kevin Doyle after the striker received two
yellow cards.
Airapetyan dismissed the conspiracy theories of some Armenian fans
who suggested Uefa was trying to give Ireland an advantage to balance
out the infamous handball by France striker Thierry Henry that cost
them the chance of reaching the 2010 World Cup finals.
"Trust me, I would never think or believe that it would be possible
for Uefa to give such instructions to the referee," Airapetyan said.
guardian.co.uk
Thursday 13 October 2011 13.35 BST
Armenia's goalkeeper Roman Berezovsky reacts after being sent off
against Ireland. Photograph: Peter Morrison/AP Armenia's FA have
filed an official protest to Uefa over the refereeing in their Euro
2012 qualifying defeat to Ireland.
Armenia needed to win their final Group B qualifier to finish second
and make the play-offs, but lost 2-1 on Tuesday after their goalkeeper
Roman Berezovsky was sent off by the Spanish referee Eduardo Gonzalez
after 26 minutes.
Berezovsky was dismissed for handball outside his area but replays
clearly showed he chested the ball clear.
The FA head Ruben Airapetyan told reporters that the Armenians want
Uefa to cancel Berezovsky's red card rather than punish the referee.
Replays also showed the referee allowed play to continue after it
appeared the Ireland striker Simon Cox did handle the ball moments
before Berezovsky was wrongly adjudged to have done so. Gonzalez
later sent off Ireland's Kevin Doyle after the striker received two
yellow cards.
Airapetyan dismissed the conspiracy theories of some Armenian fans
who suggested Uefa was trying to give Ireland an advantage to balance
out the infamous handball by France striker Thierry Henry that cost
them the chance of reaching the 2010 World Cup finals.
"Trust me, I would never think or believe that it would be possible
for Uefa to give such instructions to the referee," Airapetyan said.