VAR intervention leads to card color change in Apollon vs APOEL cup match

During the first leg of the cup semi-final between Apollon and APOEL on April 22, 2026, at the Alphamega Stadium, a significant officiating event occurred in the 67th minute. Referee Mohammed Al-Hakim initially issued a direct red card to Apollon player Escriche for an elbow on Dalsio. Following a recommendation from the German VAR official, Robert Schroder, the referee reviewed the incident on the pitchside monitor. Upon re-examination, the referee determined that the contact was with the player's body rather than the face. Consequently, the red card was rescinded and replaced with a yellow card. The match officiating team also included assistant referees Heraklis Komodromos and Stefanos Anastasiou, fourth official Panagiotis Chatzigeorgiou, and assistant VAR Petros Petrou.