Former FIFA referee Alexei Nikolaev noted that there are always emotions in football, but neither the referee nor the player is allowed to cross the line, and rudeness should be separated from emotions.

On September 15, the FTC RFU disqualified Krasnodar forward John Cordoba for two matches, who, during the break of the 9th round match of the WORLD RPL against CSKA (4: 1), insulted the judge in the under-tribune room in Spanish.

On September 19, the head of the RFU FTC, Artur Grigoryants, said that the committee, based on media materials, opened a case against Dynamo midfielder Denis Makarov. After the match of the 10th round of the RPL against Zenit (2: 0), Makarov turned to the referee with the words: “Next time I will give you tickets to the circus. Stand and watch.” Makarov was summoned to a meeting of the RFU FTC.

– Of course, this is correct, because mutual respect should have been not only on the football field, but also outside it. Statements in the room under the stands must also be correct. In any case, the dialogue should be conducted correctly and should not offend a person. This is normal practice and should be accepted by everyone.

Is it worth separating emotions from obvious rudeness?

– I have always said that there is no football without emotions, and this is normal, but when a football player, any official, including a referee, crosses a certain line, this is wrong. I think that here any person can distinguish rudeness from an emotional component, which can be and is in football.

– How would you characterize Makarov’s act?

It’s hard for me to characterize. I will not give an assessment, because the assessment of all statements is given by the disciplinary committee.

– Two matches of disqualification for Cordoba – not too much?

Again, this is not a question for me. I cannot and will not evaluate the decision of the Control and Disciplinary Committee. Surely there are certain articles according to which such punishments are signed, written out, and so on. In any case, one must be aware that the cameras are not only on the football field, but in the room under the stands. Emotions should be within the limits that are allowed.

– Referees on the field can rebuff the players? Is it forbidden to insult in response?

– There are such moments, but now, when almost all emotions are under the attention of television cameras, of course, these can be isolated cases. I think that every referee had such cases when he could talk like a man with this or that player. This sometimes influenced the players more effectively than the use of disciplinary punishment, – Nikolaev told Sport Day by Day.