Russian referee Sergei Karasev explained his refusal to kneel before the matches of the European Championship. His words on Friday, July 16, are quoted by Championship.com.
“I already respect all people – regardless of nationality,” said Karasev. He also added that the referees who worked at the Euro matches were not hinted that they should participate in the action in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Karasev, 42, praised the appointment of his brigade for the Euro 1/8 final match between the national teams of the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. According to him, he and his colleagues were happy to work in the playoff game. “We really wanted to judge further, but the appointment to the quarterfinals or semifinals, even as a reserve referee, is already an incredible success,” he concluded.
The meeting between the national teams of the Czech Republic and the Netherlands ended in a victory for the Czechs with a score of 2: 0. Karasev showed a red card to Dutch defender Mathijs de Ligt after watching a video replay. This was the first time a player was removed by VAR in Euro history.
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After the 1/8 finals stage, Karasev worked in the quarterfinals and semifinals as a reserve referee.
Before the start of the Euro, several teams announced at once that their players would not kneel before the matches of the tournament. These included teams from Russia, Croatia, Hungary and the Czech Republic.