Madura United Furious: Ze Gomes Says Referee Eko Saputra Refused VAR Help

Madura United's 1-3 defeat to Persebaya Surabaya at Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium on Monday night (26/10/2026) left not only disappointment in the visitors' camp but also sparked sharp criticism of referee Eko Saputra. Coach Ze Gomes openly judged the officiating as one-sided and said it hampered Laskar Sape Kerrab's progress.

In the post-match press conference, Gomes said that from the first half, clear fouls in his team's favor were often ignored, while similar fouls by the opposition were punished. "Many decisions, even from the first half, clear fouls for us were not given, but for the opponent they were always whistled. That really affected our game," he said.

Madura United's anger peaked in the closing minutes when the referee awarded a penalty to Persebaya. The referee was called by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to review the incident. Initial indications suggested there was no foul, but after viewing the pitchside monitor, Eko Saputra stuck with his original decision.

"VAR exists in football to help the referee do his job. But this referee simply did not want to be helped. The VAR signal was clear that it was not a penalty, and he saw the monitor himself, but he stuck to his decision just to show that he was the one in charge on the pitch," Gomes said in criticism.

Besides the controversial penalty, the match was also marked by Paulo Sitanggang's red card, which forced Madura United to play with 10 men. Earlier, winger Gali Freitas had gone past Yuran Fernandes and was pulled back from behind, but the referee did not consider it a foul.

Despite his anger, Ze Gomes remained sporting, congratulating Persebaya on taking the three points. He also praised his players' fight, which lasted until the final whistle. "Once again, I say, Persebaya's win does not need to be debated, okay? Congratulations to Persebaya, and I will also congratulate my players in the second half for their hard work. We will keep going through this season," he concluded.

The incident adds to a long list of refereeing controversies in the BRI Super League this season. The use of VAR, which should be a supporting tool, has come under scrutiny when final decisions are seen as inconsistent. Madura United have chosen to focus on internal evaluation and prepare for their next matches, while Indonesian football fans wait to see whether PSSI will evaluate refereeing performance or clarify the VAR protocol so similar incidents do not recur.