Russian referee Sergei Lapochkin has been suspended for 90 days from any football activity, as of 25 March 2021. "We inform you that by the decision of the UEFA control, ethical and disciplinary body, Russian referee Sergei Lapochkin has been suspended for 90 days from any football activity due to a violation of Articles 11 (2) (a), 12 (2) ( a) and 12 (2) (d) of the disciplinary regulations. The RFU provided full assistance in the investigation", said the RFU communications service.
The temporary suspension of the Russian referee Sergei Lapochkin from any football activity is connected with the investigation into the match of the Europa League second qualifying round match between the Latvian team Ventspils and the French team Bordeaux in 2018, a source familiar with the investigation told RIA Novosti. ”According to UEFA, some people contacted Lapochkin with a desire to influence the outcome of the match. Lapochkin did not agree, but at the same time did not report the incident to the relevant UEFA department", a source told RIA Novosti. Lapochkin has been on the FIFA list of match officials since 2013. He has handled a 2018 World Cup qualifying game between Albania and Liechtenstein, and games in qualifying rounds for the Champions League and Europa League, but was not appointed to any European competition since last season. However, the 39-year-old Lapochkin is regularly refereeing matches of the Russian championship.
Source: RIA Sport