”We have collected some video materials hoping that the authorities will investigate them” – interview with Roderick Duchatelet

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2021.09.18. 21:18

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Roderick Duchâtelet, the Belgian owner of the Purple and Whites, never goes to the referees' locker room, but at least he finds the recent decisions strange. He also acknowledged that Ferencváros is unsurpassable for other teams in the Hungarian field.

– Whose idea was it to make such a short film? Isn't it unusual for a club to fight for its corner?
– As a foreign owner, there are many disadvantages, but there are also advantages that are worth using, especially in such a situation, told our portal Roderick Duchâtelet, the Belgian owner of Újpest, who purchased ninety-five percent of stakes of the club on Megyeri út in October 2011, and has been fighting in the Hungarian football world since. – We have collected some video materials hoping that the authorities will investigate them. It is very good that VAR exists and its accompanying regulations. For example, when it is necessary to conduct a VAR analysis. In the meantime, in these recordings, we can see perfectly that VAR and the referees saw and evaluated the same fouls differently. We also see that the MLSZ Disciplinary Committee has imposed more severe penalties on our players than those of other teams for committing the same or more serious fouls

– After the referee's mistakes, do you ask in the hallway or in the referee's locker room why that decision was made?
– I never go to the sports zone unless it's absolutely necessary. So, I never talk to the referees, but that wouldn't change the situation either because their decision has already been made and they can't change that.

– In the video, you convey a specific message that Újpest is punished by wrongful decisions. Why do you think so many wrong decisions referees make against Újpest?
– I very much hope that the authorities will investigate this and, if that is indeed the case, answer this question.

– What do you expect from posting the video message. Do you think anything may change after that?
– As my lawyer advised, I won't answer this.

– What do you think of Hungarian referees in general?
– In the early years when I came to Hungary, I had a very bad opinion of them, and then it got better and better. Unfortunately, the current season is similar to the initial period.

– The team has started the season poor. How many points would Újpest have if these mistakes didn't happen?
– We would've earned more points if the decisions had been more favorable as they had a big impact on the results, as well as the long suspensions for our key players. But first, we have to look at ourselves, because in most of the matches, we could've decided the match in our favor even before the wrong decisions by the referees.

– Where is the team's place in the league, what position do you expect at the end of the season?
– I still think we have a squad that can stand on the podium. If we look at the league, I see Ferencváros at the top, they're unsurpassable for the other teams, but we're capable to compete with any other team.

In addition to the Újpest players who haven't won in the league yet, the owner of the club, Roderick Duchâtelet (pictured above), is also outraged by some of the referee's judgments (Photo: MLSZ)

**THE PURPLE AND WHITES PROTEST**
An informative 5-minute video compilation appeared on Újpest FC's official social media. The Purple and Whites cut together several refereeing decisions that, according to them, punished them on the one hand, and on the other, it may seem they're not treated the same. The starting point of the video was Branko Pauljević's case that was worth a three-match suspension, which we also consider disproportionately heavy. The club stressed that despite the introduction of the VAR technology, they feel that they are not being judged the same way for fouls they caused or committed against them. But, it's always a topic of discussion here that VAR intervenes only in certain cases, in obvious mistakes. ZS. S.
The cases in the compilation that Újpest draws attention to are: • In the clash against ZTE, András Huszti punched Giorgi Beridze in the face – the case is similar, perhaps more serious, than Pauljević's, yet the ZTE player received only a yellow card; a case that Újpest rightly disputes. • Against DVSC, Roland Ugrai collides with Nemanja Antonov in the air – yellow card, which we think is a good decision. • Against DVSC, Zsombor Bévárdi stepped on Abdoulaye Diaby's leg – he received a yellow card, which we think is a good decision. • Against DVSC, Bence Sós stepped on Miroslav Bjeloš' leg – he should've received a yellow card, which would've been the second for the Loki player. • Against Paks, Bence Lenzsér held up Branko Pauljević – he received a yellow card for preventing a promising attack, which we think is a good decision. • Against Paks, János Hahn fouled Lirim Kastrati – no yellow card, which we think is a good decision. • Against MTK, Marko Petrović held up Zoltán Stieber by hand – that's why Újpest didn't get a penalty; good decision.