October 1, 2021 - The Croatian Football Federation has suspended referee Ivan Bebek after an audio recording was released earlier this week in which he insulted Hajduk fans and Split journalist Blaž Duplančić.
The disciplinary commission of the Croatian Football Federation held a session today to discuss referee Ivan Bebek and the audio recording that was published in the media this week, HNS reported on its official website.
After the recording was published, HNS President Marijan Kustić reported referee Ivan Bebek to the Disciplinary Commission, which at today's session decided to initiate disciplinary proceedings and suspended Bebek until a decision was made on a possible sentence.
The Disciplinary Commission requested a statement from Ivan Bebek on this case and will decide at a new session next week.
After the 10th round HNL match between Hajduk and Lokomotiva, which was refereed at Poljud, Bebek insulted Hajduk fans and Split journalist Blaž Duplančić in a private conversation. This all resulted from a controversial moment in the 9th minute of the match when there was contact between Livaja and De Haas.
Namely, Bebek had numerous conversations with players and coaches with the desire to show his authority and missed a blatant penalty for Hajduk. De Haas tripped Marko Livaja in the penalty area, though Bebek did not even consult VAR, which provoked a fierce protest from Livaja, who eventually earned a yellow card.
"The tripping is not intentional or of great intensity, but the criterion of the probable situation is the one for which it was a penalty kick. The Lokomotiva player disrupted the opponent's coordination and movement," said Croatian referee expert Mario Strahonja.
Hajduk immediately requested a statement from HNS, and HNS hastily opened an investigation and forwarded the entire case to the Disciplinary Commission for urgent resolution.
Bebek refereed the Europa League match between the Legia Warsaw and Leicester in Warsaw on Thursday night but was removed from reffing in the HNL 11th round even before today's decision.
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