Former owner of Moscow Spartak Andrey Chervichenko shared his dissatisfaction with how refereeing was handled in the capital’s club’s match, as reported by Daytime Sport. After the first round of the Russian championship, Spartak formally requested a review from the Expert Referee Commission of the Russian Football Union (ESK RFU) concerning five episodes from the game against Akhmat Grozny that raised questions among the club’s supporters and management.
Chervichenko pointed to what he described as a pattern of biased judgments against the team. He argued that referees are human and subject to pressure, and when officials hear harsh criticism for an extended period, it can influence their decisions. According to him, neutrality is supposed to guide the application of the rules, yet the interpretation of certain incidents sometimes appears to skew in favor of the opposition, depending on the moment and the context. He urged that accountability from the officiating corps is essential to preserve trust in the league and its competitive balance. The remarks were framed as part of a broader concern about consistency in refereeing decisions across matches and rounds.
In the match that opened the Russian Premier League season, Spartak was held to a 1-1 draw with Akhmat Grozny. Artem Timofeev and Victor Mozes contributed the goals for Spartak, while several contentious moments during the game prompted the club’s representatives to voice their concerns about the performance of the officiating official, Vladislav Bezborodov. The first half saw a critical decision involving a Muscovite defender, Maciej Rybus, who received two yellow cards and was sent off, a call that significantly affected the tempo of the game. At the end of the second half, Akhmat Grozny’s goalkeeper Giorgi Shelia was not shown a red card after a VAR review, a decision that sparked debate among fans and analysts about the effectiveness and consistency of VAR protocols in influencing outcomes in the toughest moments of a match.
Earlier, Alexander Mostovoy, a former prominent figure in Russian football, publicly weighed in with his own perspective on the situation surrounding Spartak, and his comments touched on the ownership and leadership of the club by Leonid Fedun. The conversation around the club’s administration and the trajectory of Spartak under Fedun’s ownership intersected with ongoing discussions about how refereeing quality and the disciplinary framework align with the expectations of a club with Spartak’s history and fanbase. The exchange reflected a broader media and public discourse about governance, accountability, and performance standards within Russian football and the role of the refereeing corps in shaping competitive outcomes. The scene underscored how the sport’s governance structures, leaders, and stakeholders navigate the delicate balance between on-field decisions and the perception of fair play across the league.