Armenia file protest to Uefa over goalkeeper's red card

QUALIFICATION FALLOUT: ARMENIA have filed an official protest to Uefa over what they believe were wrong decisions by the referee…

QUALIFICATION FALLOUT:ARMENIA have filed an official protest to Uefa over what they believe were wrong decisions by the referee in Tuesday' defeat in Dublin. Armenia lost 2-1 after goalkeeper Roman Berezovsky was sent off by Spanish referee Eduardo Gonzalez after 26 minutes.

Berezovsky was dismissed for handball outside his area but TV replays clearly showed he chested the ball clear.

Armenian FA chief Ruben Airapetyan said the Armenians want Uefa to cancel Berezovsky’s red card rather than punish the referee.

TV replays also showed the referee allowed play to continue after it appeared Ireland striker Simon Cox handled the ball seconds before Berezovsky was wrongly adjudged to have done so.

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Airapetyan dismissed any conspiracy theory that Uefa was trying to give Ireland an advantage to balance out France striker Thierry Henry’s infamous handball that cost them the chance of reaching the 2010 World Cup finals.

Henry handled the ball in the build-up to France’s winning goal against Ireland in the play-offs but the offence went unpunished.

“Trust me, I would never think or believe that it would be possible for Uefa to give such instructions to the referee,” Airapetyan said.

Estonia's results

1: August 11th, 2010 Estonia 2 Faroe Islands 1

2: September 3rd, 2010 Estonia 1 Italy 2

3: October 8th, 2010 Serbia 1 Estonia 3

4: October 12th, 2010 Estonia 0 Slovenia 1

5: March 29th, 2011 Estonia 1 Serbia 1

6: June 3rd 2011 Italy 3 Estonia 0

7: June 7th 2011 Faroe Islands 2 Estonia 0

8: September 2nd 2011 Slovenia 1 Estonia 2

9: September 6th, 2011 Estonia 4 Northern Ireland 1

10: October 7th 2011 Northern Ireland 1 Estonia 2