The appointment of debutant Fedorov for the match between Zenit and Khimki is absolutely not risky, says Nikolaev

Former FIFA referee Alexei Nikolaev told Sport Day after Day that he does not consider it risky to appoint Artur Fedorov to the game of the 19th round of the WORLD RPL Zenit – Khimki.

The 32-year-old referee from Petrozavodsk has never officiated a Premier League match as the chief referee.

“Absolutely not risky. The refereeing of Roman Galimov, who did not debut, but did not judge the Premier League for a very long time, is a positive example of a debut in St. Petersburg. I also made my debut in St. Petersburg in 2003. I think that this is one of the best options for debuting in such excellent conditions that are created at the Gazprom Arena. In any case, you need to debut at some game.

“But there will be more pressure.

“The pressure is higher than in the First or Second Division. Yes, psychologically, of course, it is not easy. I think that the skill of the players should help in this match and I really hope that everything goes smoothly for our debutants, and we will talk more about the game than about refereeing moments.

— How do you feel about the practice of dismissing judges due to mistakes? Perhaps there are other ways to punish arbitrators. Monetary fines, for example.

– In any case, suspension for some time from refereeing in one capacity or another incurs monetary losses. People do not work and do not receive the money that they could earn by working at matches. It’s two in one. I do not think that additional monetary penalties are the right mechanism. This has been practiced for years and everywhere.

We have had a problem with people for a long time. We have a shortage of referees. This problem did not occur today. And the fact that such an unsuccessful tour turned out is already such a coincidence. This should be treated as if it happened. Those who have a little rest will continue to work and become even stronger, because the same Vitaly Meshkov is worried about what a mistake he made. This is UEFA practice. In Europe, too, if you unsuccessfully refereed the game, then you will not go to the next round and vice versa. This is not something we invented.

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