Referee sentenced to 15 months in prison, handed 10-year suspension after controversial penalty

  Serbian referee Srdjan Obradovic has been sentenced to 15 months in prison after awarding a controversial penalty during Spartak Subotica and Radnicki match. Obradovic has also been handed a ten-year suspension of officiating after he was found guilty regarding a Serbian SuperLiga match back in 2018. The 51-year-old awarded Subotica a bizarre penalty in the dying minutes of the tie against Radnicki. Spartak faced off against Radnicki in the penultimate game of the season, knowing the winner would secure qualification into the Europa League. The hosts secured a 2-0 with Obradovic awarding two penalties, the second particularly galling for Radnicki. Following a low cross into the box, the referee pointed to the spot, seeming to suggest the defender had handled the ball. The players of the visiting team confronted the center referee while Spartak appeared stunned with the awarding. The decision was described as 'scandalous as replays showed the ball struck the heel of the Radnicki defender. The awarding of the penalty came after Obradovic had sent off Radnicki striker Milan Pavkov, awarded him two yellow cards in a matter of minutes. Pavkov attended the trial and was a key witness in the prosecution’s case against the referee. As well as his prison sentence, the former Serban defender has been banned from holding any position within the Serbian FA until at least 2031.