The Latvian Football Federation (LFF) says it will assess whether fair-play principles were followed in Thursday’s Virslīga match between SK Super Nova and FC RFS.
RFS won 2-1 away, as Serbian striker Darko Lemajić scored the winner in the 82nd minute. The focus, however, was on Super Nova’s team selection and late changes as the game moved into its closing stages still tied at 1-1.
Super Nova midfielder Facundo García, on loan from RFS, was not included in the matchday squad. Goalkeeper Sergejs Vilkovs was left on the bench, while several other players also did not feature. Virslīga regulations prohibit agreements that prevent a player on loan from not playing against their parent club.
In the latter part of the match, Super Nova subbed in less experienced players, including Kristaps Maksimovs, who came on a minute before Lemajić’s decisive goal to made his league debut. Regular starters remained among the substitutes.
Head coach Maksims Rafaļskis defended the decisions in his post-match press conference.
“People can think what they want. We have our own view on how to do things better,” Rafaļskis said. “We trust all our players. It was the best solution.”
Asked why he made changes in key positions with the score level, Rafaļskis pointed to the youngster’s recent display and the need to refresh the defence.
“Kristaps came on against Riga and looked confident. Why not give him minutes now? He did very well in aerial duels,” he said. “Some players were tired, so we refreshed the back line to make it more mobile.”
LFF said it would evaluate possible breaches linked to this Virslīga fixture. This is not the first investigation of this kind this season, after the new regulations took effect. The first time involved BFC Daugavpils and RFS and no foul play was uncovered.
___________________
Source: https://sportacentrs.com/futbols/virsliga/30052026-futbola_federacija_vertes_vai_super_nova_
