The Dutch coach of Kryvbas, Patrick van Leeuwen, blatantly insulted the referee after the end of the match that brought his team together with Poltava in the 26th round of the Ukrainian Football League.
The match witnessed a controversial decision to cancel two goals for Kryvbas after the intervention of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). The second goal was canceled in the fifth minute of stoppage time, which angered Van Leeuwen, who approached one of the broadcast cameras after the match and said in Russian: "This referee is a disgrace to the profession."
It is worth noting that the Dutch coach Patrick van Leeuwen (56 years old) has been running a career in the Ukrainian league since the summer of 2022, where he previously coached Zorya and Metalist clubs, before taking over Kryvbas, which currently occupies sixth place with 41 points after playing 26 rounds, while Poltava is at the bottom of the standings with only 12 points.
