“Frankly, the referee hurt my heart. He looked lost, he admitted he was wrong. We didn’t even argue.” Jean-François Collet wants to be empathetic. The president of Neuchâtel Xamax returns to the stage on Friday at the end of this match lost 2-3 against Thun.
We recall the facts: while the Neuchâtelois led 2-1 in the 89th minute, a Thun attacker could cross from the left. He was the victim of a foul. But the cross in question reached Euclides Cabral who propelled it into his own goal.
Except that the Xamaxiens maintain that the referee Hüsseyin Sanli had whistled the foul, before the ball crossed the line. The official was also going to head towards the place of the tackle, to give the free kick, before changing his mind to award the goal. Which logically triggered the ire of all Neuchâtel players. For them, the technical fault was established, and they filed a protest. They confirmed this with the SFL on Monday. Their goal? Let the match be replayed.
Does all this have a chance of succeeding? It is now up to the SFL disciplinary committee to decide. Historically, there does not appear to be a case of a match being replayed after a technical foul by the referee in one of the top two divisions of Swiss Football.
Because before analyzing the question on the merits, it will be judged on the form. And there, the regulations protect the authorities. Let’s explain.
The filing of a protest is very codified, according to article 50 of the ASF playing regulations. The captain of the cheated team must do so immediately with the referee, and before play resumes. He must also express it clearly, with the term “protest”. Then, after the match, the captain must confirm this in writing. Finally, the club must confirm it within three days with the SFL.
The League communicated on Monday that this last step had been taken. But it is the first that leaves room for doubt.
Jean-François Collet assures that everything was done according to the rules: “Our captain Kenan Faktic said it on the pitch to the referee, and our coach Uli Forte communicated it to the fourth referee. But after the match, there was an inspector in the referees’ locker room. And the fourth maintained that Uli had not said anything to him.” The arbitrator’s report will be binding: according to our information, the filing of the protest would not be confirmed, even if this still needs to be verified.
If the formal defect were to be upheld by the disciplinary committee, which would not enter into the matter, the procedure should be rapid. On the other hand, if everything complies with the rule, the analysis of the situation could take more time. Here, we should particularly study the videos. Neuchâtel Xamax provided others to the SFL on Monday. Still, the gap between sound and image is hard to establish.
“I have a feeling that the referee and the SFL are going to do everything to clear themselves,” breathes Jean-François Collet. I’m not super optimistic. But I have a feeling of injustice and I must defend the interests of my club. In vain?
