According to reports, the Serbian referee who hilariously used footage from a fan’s mobile phone to overturn an offside decision has been banned for life.
Stefan Lazovic went viral earlier this week after photos of his cheap ‘VAR check’ in one of Serbia’s lower-tier competitions surfaced. The match official first ruled out a goal for offside before reviewing the spectator video and determining that the player was indeed onside.
Serbian authorities were not pleased with the decision and have since relieved Lazovic of his duties. The reported firing of Lazovic generated fury on social media, with fans rallying in favor of the referee.
Nemanja Matic, a former Manchester United and Chelsea player, responded on an Instagram post praising Lazovic with a two-handed raised hand emoji.
ftbl.serbia’s original reply read: ‘Support for Stefan Lazovic! Why should he suffer alone, why such a harsh sentence, why a lifetime ban from trial?’ ‘How is it possible that there is no consequence for the delegate and the other officials from the district’s responsible FS?’ How could the game be played with only one assistance referee? Who is in charge here? What causes Stefan’s spear to break?
‘At the end of the day, the fact that he watched the video and changed his mind demonstrates that he wanted everything to be FAIR!’
‘He talks about not being a slave to his vanity, but he admitted and fixed his error.’
This film has already gone viral, and millions of people are aware of the ‘over there’ football clubs Popovic and Apollon, as well as the village of Vrnjci!
‘In short, we have made an appeal to the judges’ organization and the appropriate authorities – now you CHANGE the judgment!’ Allow the VAR system to operate in your favor and cancel the penalty. Repair the ERROR!
‘PLEASE SUPPORT STEFAN LAZOVIC!’