After the match of the 13th round of the Kazakhstan Premier League (KPL) between FC «Yelimay» and FC «Ordabasy», a scandal erupted around the chief referee Arman Ismuratov. The head coach of «Yelimay», Andrey Karpovich, accused the referee of unethical behaviour and criticised a number of decisions made during the game. Later, the club's fans and the Akim of the Abai Region, Berik Uali, became involved in the situation.
WHAT COMPLAINTS AROSE AFTER THE MATCH
The first controversial incidents occurred in the 39th and 46th minutes of the match. In one instance, referee Arman Ismuratov disallowed a goal for «Yelimay», and in the second case, the VAR video assistant referee system confirmed an offside position after reviewing the incident.
After the final whistle, the head coach of «Yelimay», Andrey Karpovich, and midfielder Zhan-Ali Payruz approached the referee. They both received red cards, which means an automatic suspension for the next match.
WHAT ANDREY KARPOVICH SAID
As Andrey Karpovich stated at the press conference after the match, he disagreed with several decisions made by the chief referee. According to the coach, the key incidents were the free kick from which «Ordabasy» opened the scoring, as well as the disallowed goal for «Yelimay».
Furthermore, Karpovich claimed that Arman Ismuratov, in his words, made unethical and obscene remarks towards the players and club representatives.
«The main referee, official Ismuratov, literally told me to f*** off. We didn't say anything out of the ordinary. We just said what the fans were saying,» Andrey Karpovich stated.
Additionally, the coach alleges that the referee spoke of an intention to be biased against the team for the remainder of the championship.
«He said that for the remaining half of the championship, he would 'hammer' 'Yelimay',» said Karpovich.
HOW THE FANS REACTED
After the match, fans of FC «Yelimay» sent a letter to the Akim of the Abai Region, Berik Uali. In the appeal, they stated that the decisions of the referee team caused discontent among the stands, and also requested an objective review of the referees' actions.
The authors of the appeal noted that they are not demanding special treatment for the club and advocate for a fair approach towards all participants in the championship.
HOW BERIK UALI REACTED
As Berik Uali reported on his Facebook page, a large number of complaints were received from «Yelimay» fans after the match.
According to the head of the region, the issues raised will be studied, and appropriate work will be carried out to preserve the principles of fairness and transparency. He stated that he discussed the situation with the president of the Kazakhstan Football Federation (KFF), Marat Omarov.
According to Uali's statement, the head of the federation announced a decision to create a special commission to handle the review of the situation.
WHAT INFORMATION EMERGED AFTER THE MATCH
As reported by the Telegram channel «HALYQSTAN», information appeared that after returning from Semey, referee Arman Ismuratov was met by police officers at the capital's airport.
The publication notes that the nature of any potential charges is unknown. There is no official confirmation of this information in the materials provided.
It is also noted that in 2021, after a match between «Atyrau» and «Shakhter», Ismuratov was involved in a conflict with footballer Sabit Tastanbekov, which escalated into a fight. Video of the incident has once again begun circulating on social media following the current scandal.
At that time, the KFF suspended the referee until the end of the season, noting that the conflict was provoked by the player himself.
Furthermore, football manager and blogger Nasima Korganbekova stated that the chief referee, Arman Ismuratov, is allegedly an advisor to the president of the KFF.
There is no official confirmation of this information in the materials provided.