Storm in the Referees Union: Liani Refuses to Referee in Cup Semi-Final and Requests Referee in Final | Israel today

Referee Liran Liani is not expected to conduct the Haifa derby in the semi-finals of the State Cup.

The reason: Liani expected to manage the season finale, as at the end of the 2021/22 season he is due to retire from refereeing.

Thus, this dispute between the union and the veteran referee, may result in him retiring earlier than expected and not running any more games this season.

The union was shocked by Liani's refusal to conduct the Haifa derby in the semi-finals.

On the face of it, he was supposed to manage a number of other important games until the end of the league, including key games in the top and bottom playoffs.

"We have not encountered such a thing, we need to think about what to do next," said a source in the judges' union.

If Liani does not conduct the Haifa derby, another referee will be placed in the union.

Among the options at the moment are Gal Leibowitz and Uriel Greenfeld, with the assessment in the union being that Yigal Fried will manage the final game to be held at Teddy Stadium.

Were we wrong?

Fixed!

If you found an error in the article, we'll be happy for you to share it with us