Shamil Gazizov, the general director of Makhachkala Dynamo, did not hold back his criticism of the officiating in the team’s 1-1 draw with Akhmat in the 29th round of the Russian Premier League, describing the refereeing as “disgraceful.” He shared his thoughts with Match TV.
The match, played in Grozny, ended in a stalemate. The key incident occurred in the 34th minute when Akhmat defender Usman Ndong jumped into an opponent inside the box and struck the Dynamo player in the face with his fist. The referee, Sergei Ivanov, did not call a foul. Although the VAR team reviewed the incident, they chose not to intervene.
“Unfortunately, our performance was not flawless. I would prefer not to talk about the refereeing, but it was disgraceful. We will appeal to the Expert Referee Commission regarding the penalty. There were also many instances where the referee failed to issue yellow cards,” Gazizov stated.
When asked about Dynamo’s missed chances to score a second goal, Gazizov noted: “When you are fighting for survival, psychology plays a role and you inevitably drop deeper. Now, unfortunately, not everything in the table depends on us.”
With 25 points, Dynamo sits in 14th place. The team cannot rise above the relegation playoff spot but is still not safe from direct relegation. Pari Nizhny Novgorod, currently in the automatic relegation zone, has 22 points with a game in hand.
In the final round on May 17, Makhachkala Dynamo will face Rostov away.