A whistle to crack raises controversy…and Al-Nasr coach: “Luca is a respected player.”

The match between Al-Nasr and Al-Ain in the first leg of the semi-final of the Professional Football League Cup (Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup) witnessed controversial arbitration decisions that affected the outcome of the match, which ended with Al-Zaeem’s 3-0 victory.

The most prominent whistle decisions came in the 42nd minute, when French referee François issued two yellow cards in less than a minute to Al-Nasr captain Luka Milivojevic due to objection, causing the player to leave the field and his team completed the match with 10 players.

The decisions angered Al-Nasr players, especially since the cameras showed the Al-Nasr player in a discussion with the French referee after receiving the first yellow card, then receiving the second card at record speed and then the red, amid protests from his teammates against the decision.

In the second half, the VAR technology intervened in one of the most sensitive moments in the match, when the referee re-executed the penalty kick that Al Ain striker Kodjo Laba missed, after reviewing the shot and ensuring that goalkeeper Ahmed Shambeh had advanced from the goal line before the first execution, which gave Laba a second opportunity during which he succeeded in scoring the second goal.

After the match, the arbitral decisions remained the focus of Al-Nasr coach, Serbian Slavisa Jokanovic, who believed that his player Luka Milivojevic did not deserve to be expelled. He told Emirates Al-Youm: “Luka did not say anything inappropriate, and did not commit any behavior that deserved a card. He is a respectable player, he played at high levels in Europe, and knows how to act, so I cannot hold him responsible for the loss. The responsibility lies with whoever made the decision against him.”

For his part, Al Ain coach, Serbian Vladimir Ivic, warned his players against relying on the result of the first leg, and said: “I do not like the players to think that things are over just because we won the first leg. Al Nasr is a strong team and will fight in the return, and we must be at our highest concentration to secure qualification.”