Referee Committee Rules: Referee Erred in Awarding Penalty to Maccabi Haifa
The Referee Committee ruled that Omer Biran erred when he awarded a penalty to Maccabi Haifa against Hapoel Ramat Gan. The referee ignored the VAR recommendation to cancel the call and upheld the penalty kick…
Assessment
Israel's refereeing committee publicly ruled that referee Omer Biran erred by awarding Maccabi Haifa a penalty against Hapoel Ramat Gan. Biran ignored a VAR recommendation to overturn the call despite no foul occurring, and his prolonged screen review violated official protocol. The committee's sharp criticism signals growing pressure on match officials to follow VAR guidance consistently.