With the (decisive) complicity of VAR Umut Meler – designated for Poland-Austria – canceled out two goals from Lukaku on his debut at Euro2024 in Belgium-Slovakia. Born in 1986, the Turkish referee began refereeing the Süper Lig, the top league in Turkey, in 2015 and joined the Fifa referees two years later, in 2017. Meler was also the referee of the match between Ankaragücü and Rizespor, where the visitors’ equalizing goal scored at the end by Gaich, created a scene of incredible violence where it was the match director himself who paid the consequences, struck violently in the face by the now former president of the home team. In the Champions League, there are 3 matches directed by the Turkish referee, including Lazio, in the match played at the Olympic stadium against the Scottish Celtic Glasgow, won 2-0 thanks to a brace scored in three minutes by Immobile. Also in the Europa League, Umut Meler managed 3 matches: he also managed Milan in the success over Slavia Prague 4-2 and the first leg of the quarter-finals with the match won 3-0, at Anfield, by Atalanta against Klopp’s Liverpool. In the Conference he refereed the second leg of the Conference League semi-final against Club Brugge, a match which allowed the Viola to access the final of the competition, where they then lost to the Greeks Olympiacos. Let’s see how he did yesterday.
Meler’s history with Poland and Austria
Only one precedent with the Polish national team (which he lost on the occasion), none with Austria.
The referee booked six players
Assisted by assistants Eyisoy and Ersoy with the Slovenian Obrenovic IV man and our Paolo Valeri at Varthe referee booked 6 players: Slisz, Wimmer, Moder, Lewandowski, Szczesny, Arnautovic.
Poland-Austria, the slow-motion cases
These are the dubious episodes. In the 17th minute, Poland asks for a penalty: a shot from Zieliński was allegedly handled by Mwene. The referee lets it continue and does well. In the 53rd minute, the first yellow card of the match: Halil Umut Meler wrote down the name Bartosz Slisz in his notebook. In the 56th minute, Zalewski’s restart, the Roma winger speeds up and is stopped irregularly by Patrick Wimmer: the first yellow card of the match also for an Austrian player. In the 62nd minute Jakub Moder was booked for a foul on Christoph Baumgartner. In the 64th minute yellow for the newly substitute Lewandowski for an irregular jump in which he widens his elbow too much hitting Lienhart. The referee continues to hand out yellows and in the 70th minute it is Arnautovic’s turn. In the 77th minute Sabitzer in front of goal comes into contact with Szczesny who comes out with open hands and falls: yellow for the Juventus goalkeeper and penalty scored by the Nerazzurri striker Arnautovic with the approval of Var Paolo Valeri. Poland-Austria ends 1-3.
For Bergonzi there was no penalty
Mauro Bergonzi clarifies this. The former referee on Rai1 explains that the penalty awarded to the Austrians was an error: “Let’s look at the images again, you see that Szczesny doesn’t hit the player’s foot and actually takes a kick in the face, for me it was a free kick for Poland and there was absolutely no penalty.”
