The controversial penalty incident in the 72nd minute of the UEFA Champions League Group Stage Matchday 3 game between “Athletic Bilbao” and “Qarabag” has become a major topic of discussion. The match referee, Igor Pajac, decided not to award a penalty, opting instead for a corner kick — a decision that was met with disagreement from many observers.
The Croatian official did not even consult the VAR system before making his final call.
According to Idman.Biz, the Turkish outlet Teleqraf reached out to several experienced former FIFA referees for their opinions on the incident. Mustafa Culcu, former head of the Turkish Football Federation Referees Committee, stated that it was a clear penalty:
“The ‘Qarabag’ player goes for the ball, while the opponent stretches his leg but arrives late and fails to touch it. I can see clear contact on the heel and upper part of the Azerbaijani player’s left foot. Honestly, before watching the clip, I assumed the referee had given a penalty. The ‘Athletic’ player made contact with his opponent’s heel, tripping him. He was simply too late to reach the ball.”
Culcu, who now works as an expert for A Spor, also criticized Igor Pajac’s refusal to consult VAR:
“The VAR official was Ivan Bebek, known for his disastrous refereeing in a past ‘Fenerbahce’ match. ‘Qarabag’ beat ‘Benfica’ away and ‘Copenhagen’ at home — six points from two matches. So people start asking questions: what’s going on? To stop ‘Qarabag,’ they sent another Croatian, Igor Pajac. Clubs like ‘Qarabag’ must be strong not only on the pitch but also off it.”
Another former Turkish FIFA referee, Bunyamin Gezer, agreed with Culcu’s assessment:
“There’s no need for further explanation. It’s a clear penalty. VAR should have intervened.”
At the time of the incident, “Athletic” were leading 2–1. Had the penalty been awarded, “Qarabag” might have returned from Bilbao with at least a point. Instead, the Spanish side scored again in the 88th minute to seal a 3–1 victory.
