Swiss referees have been in the spotlight recently - and the last Super League weekend of the year will not be without discussion. Amir Saipi vents his refereeing frustrations on blue Sport.
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- Lugano lose their last league game before the winter break against Lausanne 1:4 and fail to extend their lead at the top of the table.
- The visitors were awarded three penalties in Ticino. Lugano goalkeeper Amir Saipi is furious: "Maybe the referee wanted Lausanne to take another penalty against me today."
- Referee Nico Gianforte was far too petty with his whistle and didn't let him talk to him, criticized Saipi: "We're playing football, aren't we? We're not doing ballet!"
Referee Nico Gianforte points to the spot three times in the game between Lugano and Lausanne - three times in favor of the Vaud team. Lugano goalie Amir Saipi thought the first two penalty decisions were far too petty. "We play football, don't we? We're not playing ballet," said the 24-year-old in an interview with blue Sport after the game, which the Ticino side lost 4-1.
"Shaqiri said it well last week," Saipi continued. The FCB star was also terribly upset about the referees on the last matchday after the 1-1 draw against St. Gallen ("We have to think about whether we have the best referees").
The Lugano keeper is blowing the same horn. "You have to question how the penalties are whistled. Maybe the referee wanted Lausanne to take another penalty against me today. It's difficult when you also have to fight the referee and everyone is against us," Saipi says plainly.
In his view, Gianforte lacked tact and was also unwilling to listen to the opinions of the Lugano players. "When you (as a referee) always feel so crass on the pitch and you have the feeling that nobody can talk to the referee, it's just a shame," Saipi made clear. "We're all human beings, we have to be able to deal with each other. But it's difficult when the referee says 'Go away, go away' every time."
Airs and graces among Swiss referees?
Alex Frei shared a similar view in the blue Sport studio on Saturday when he said: "There are referees who sometimes give me the feeling that they think the spectators come to the stadium because of them. (...) Often the referees simply take themselves too seriously."
Discussions at eye level, the occasional snappy comment to a player or coach during a match - Frei misses that in the Super League. "In the Bundesliga, there was a (Manuel) Gräfe who would say: 'Alex, shut the fuck up! Score your goals and leave me alone!' I laughed because I thought that was cool. I was then quiet again for a while."
Saipi obviously wants a similar approach. But the Kosovo international wants to put what happened behind him: "That's just the way it is now." After all, despite the defeat, Lugano go into the winter break as leaders and already have their next important game against Pafos in the Conference League on Thursday. Saipi: "We have to look ahead and make sure we can get the best out of Thursday."
