---
title: "Latvian referees admit two key mistakes that benefited Riga in May"
date: 2026-06-20T08:07:16Z
lang: en
author: "Ivo"
canonical: https://balticfootballnews.com/latvian-referees-admit-two-key-mistakes-that-benefited-riga-in-may/
categories: ["Virsliga"]
---

# Latvian referees admit two key mistakes that benefited Riga in May
**Latvian Football Federation (LFF) Refereeing Department has published its review of key match incidents from May’s Tonybet Virsliga fixtures, acknowledging two major errors which went in Riga’s favour**, **both against clubs from Courland.**

Both mistakes came in second halves at Skonto Stadium. First, against Liepāja. The LFF said Liepāja had a goal wrongly disallowed in a match Riga won 1-0, with the incident judged not to be a foul on the goalkeeper. The review stated the attacker challenged fairly and that goalkeepers are not afforded special protection inside the six-yard box.

Second, against Grobiņa. The federation said Grobiņa should have been awarded a late penalty when trailing 1-0, and also indicated the team ought to have been playing against 10 men. Riga went on to win 2-0.

The monthly report also highlighted other decisions it deemed incorrect, including an offside call which ruled out a goal for Daugavpils against Ogre United despite the attacker not interfering with play. The LFF said VAR should have intervened.

Another episode flagged by the department involved a missed penalty and a red card, with the review saying VAR was expected to step in after a clear hand-to-head action stopped an obvious goalscoring opportunity.

Elsewhere, the federation backed several decisions, including a penalty awarded after VAR intervention for a trip from behind, a goalkeeper dismissal for denying an obvious goalscoring chance just outside the box, and the overturning of a penalty after a review found the defender played the ball first.

Source: [sportacentrs.com](https://sportacentrs.com/futbols/virsliga/19062026-virsligas_tiesasanas_analize_maija_pielau)