Our U16 team failed to take any points in Iași this weekend. Head coach Burus Bernát explained what was behind the result.

Our U16 team failed to take any points in Iași this weekend. Head coach Burus Bernát explained what was behind the result:

“We expected a difficult opponent, and we knew that their position in the standings was not necessarily realistic. We prepared all week with this in mind.
We started the match quite well, managing to keep our opponents under pressure in the opening minutes, preventing them from playing their game. Nevertheless, with their first dangerous attack they managed to score, from a situation we should normally have defended. For the rest of the match, we were the ones controlling the game, taking the initiative and trying to play football.

Unfortunately, the scenario of last autumn’s play-off match repeated itself, where the referee rather than the kids became the main actor. At 1–0, he awarded a penalty that only he saw. Our goalkeeper saved it, so we stayed in the game. Soon after, we equalized with a beautiful free kick and had the momentum to turn the match around before halftime. But again, a controversial moment came: their player should have been booked for simulation, but instead the home team were awarded another penalty, which this time they converted.

In the second half, the opponent played nothing but destructive football: balls disappeared, cramps were exaggerated, and numerous fouls were called only against us.

It is unfortunate that such refereeing still happens at youth level, ruining the children’s weekly work, because referees are unable to officiate a youth game with integrity and fairness, where the focus should be on development and progress.

We hope that such matches will only make the boys stronger in the near future, because today too they showed tremendous will and strength – but sadly, this is all we were allowed today.”