Referee Levnikovs Decision on Third Goal in Akhmat vs. Sochi Match Upheld by Expert Commission

The Expert-Judicial Commission under the Russian Football Union (RFS) unanimously affirmed the decision made by the chief referee of the match in the 13th round of the Russian Premier League between Akhmat and Sochi (2:4), **Kirill Levnikov**, to award a goal to the Grozny team in the 66th minute.

«The defender of Akhmat, Maxim Sidorov, was vying for position with Sochi’s forward, Vladimir Ilyin, attempting to reach the ball with his foot. As a consequence, Ilyin, positioned ahead of Sidorov, was affected by his opponent’s hands and was unable to halt his momentum before colliding with the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper, while reaching for the ball during his fall, collided with both players. In this instance, the defender made contact with the goalkeeper using his open foot and thigh, while the forward simply collided with him. Given the circumstances of the play, this confrontation and collision among all the players is deemed non-punishable, and thus, the goal was correctly awarded,» the official RFS website stated.

The most decorated football clubs in Russia: