Former RPL referee Igor Fedotov has criticized the performance of referee Sergiy Karasev during the match of the 29th round of the Russian Premier League where “Krylya Sovetov” faced “Spartak” (0:2).

“In my assessment, Karasev has received many negative ratings lately. Yes, in rounds 26 and 27, VAR made mistakes as well. However, the department has confidence in Karasev and expects to see quality officiating. Unfortunately, that was not the case in this match.

In the eighth minute, there was an open play situation where no one was obstructing each other. Yet, Karasev failed to notice that Bale made direct contact above the ankle of the Spartak player. That should have been a red card; the bigger issue, though, is that Karasev didn’t even consider it a foul. Something seems off with him. As a result, VAR had to step in, leading to Bale’s red card.

On the 41st minute, Karasev correctly awarded a penalty against Krylya for a careless foul. The defender misjudged his jump.

However, in the 50th minute, the referee mistakenly issued a second yellow card to Krylya player Kostantse. Yes, Zobnin played the ball, but the opponent did not act recklessly. There was contact, but it occurred in the air and was minimal—both players embellished it. On the ground, there was no stepping on or excessive force,” Fedotov stated in an interview with Championship correspondent Mikhail Rozhdestvensky.