Football Federation praises refereeing in Struga derby

The Football Federation of North Macedonia issued a brief assessment after the derby in Struga on 16 August 2026, in which home side Struga Trim-Lum defeated Vardar 1:0. The federation evaluated the refereeing performance as high quality and confirmed the key penalty decision that decided the match.

Federation's findings on the decisive moment

The Football Federation of North Macedonia stated the following:

"High-quality refereeing of the derby match from the third round of the First MFL, between the teams Struga Trim Lum and Vardar.

In one of the key refereeing situations, a defensive player of the home team plays with his hand in an unnatural position, clearly separated from the body, thereby preventing the development of the visiting team's action. This is punishable handling of the ball, and the main referee is in close proximity, with an unobstructed angle of view, and correctly awards a penalty kick.

In all other situations, including the issuing of disciplinary measures, the decisions of the refereeing team are correct. The match was technically and disciplinarily controlled, with no registered refereeing error."

The federation's statement underlines that the penalty was awarded after the referee had a clear view of an unnatural hand position by a Struga defender, which the statement describes as blocking the visiting side's attack. Beyond that specific situation, the federation judged the officiating team’s choices, including disciplinary calls, to be accurate.

Clubs, fans and media debating the decision now have the federation's official position: the match was managed correctly from a refereeing perspective, and no official error was recorded in the fixture that ended 1:0 in favour of Struga Trim-Lum.

Photo: press material from the event