Is this fair?

[petek]

Originally Posted by ahecht

Honestly, the fault here lies entirely with the referee, who didn't show any gracious professionalism. ...The ref should have let you play the match while the inspection sheets were being checked, and then DQed your team from competition afterwards if it turned out you had stolen the sticker.

The referee has no choice in this matter. The rules are quite specific:

<R111>All ROBOTS must pass inspection for compliance with the rules herein before being allowed to compete in qualification matches.

(emphasis mine)

It is unfortunate that the inspector neglected to sign the sticker and that your team didn't make sure they completed this critical final step, but the ref's hands are tied - they have to follow the rules.