After the last group match at the 2024 European Championship, Czech and Turkish footballers sharply criticized referee Istvan Kovacs. The Czech footballers, who were eliminated in the group stage, expressed their disappointment with Kovacs' performance during their 1:2 defeat against Turkey. Tomas Soucek, the captain of the Czech team, described Kovacs as 'really bad and very arrogant.' Similarly, Hakan Calhanoglu, the captain of the Turkish team, labeled Kovacs as a 'disaster' and criticized his arrogance and lack of communication.
Kovacs' refereeing performance drew harsh criticism from both sides. The terms 'disaster,' 'arrogant,' and 'wanted to be man of the match' were frequently used by the players. Soucek emphasized that the 'best referee is the one who doesn't influence the game,' accusing Kovacs of wanting to 'be man of the match.' Kovacs set a European Championship record by issuing 18 yellow cards during the match. Additionally, Antonin Barak received a yellow-red card, and Tomas Chory was shown a red card after vehemently protesting post-match. Both Soucek and Turkish talent Arda Güler were also booked. Calhanoglu will miss Turkey's round of 16 match against Austria due to a yellow card suspension.
Matej Kovar, the Czech goalkeeper, echoed the sentiment by stating that the cards were 'given too easily.' He recalled pre-tournament meetings held to explain the rules, only to find the actual implementation at odds with those explanations. Kovar remarked, 'It feels hard, but that's the reality. We have to accept it.' Czech coach Ivan Hasek tried not to focus too much on Kovacs, acknowledging that their game plan was disrupted by the red card but admitting that they should have won against Georgia.
Despite his experience, Kovacs' performance in this European Championship match met with considerable resistance. The 39-year-old Romanian referee, who has officiated high-profile matches such as the Europa League final and 22 Champions League assignments, found himself under fire from both teams. This was his second appearance at the European Championship in Germany.
In Group F, where Portugal was already guaranteed to finish in first place, the Czech Republic and Turkey faced off for the last match of the group stage. Turkey, with three points, was in second place, while the Czechs were in third with just one point. Turkey suffered a heavy defeat against Portugal (0-3) but secured a victory against Georgia (3-1), keeping their hopes for the round of 16 alive. A draw against the Czech Republic would have been enough for Turkey to secure second place.
- The Czech Republic held up well against Portugal in their opening match before losing in added time (1-2). Their second match ended in a 1-1 draw against Georgia. Despite these results, they still had a chance to qualify for the rest of the competition with a victory against Turkey.
- The Group F match between the Czech Republic and Turkey took place on Wednesday, June 26, at 9 p.m. It was broadcast on beIN Sports 2 and covered live with commentary on leparisien.fr.
