Indian Super League (ISL) in its brief history has seen some controversies but this season's walkout by Kerala Blasters during the playoff against Bengaluru FC is its biggest cause célèbre so far. The standard of refereeing (read poor refereeing) in the ISL has always been a topic of hot discussion among the fans but the teams have taken it in their stride and the issue is only dissected by coaches at the post-match media conferences. But what unfolded at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru was never witnessed, at least in the league, before. All hell broke loose as Kerala Blasters coach Ivan Vukomanovic ordered his players off the pitch to protest referee Crystal John's decision to allow a goal by Sunil Chhetri through a quickly taken freekick, which the Kerala side said they were not ready for.
The apparent brain-fade action from the Blasters coach and the management was childish and unjustifiable. We don't see such bizarre instances in top-level football. And the goal which caused this controversy was not controversial at all. Top-tier football is replete with examples where players have scored such quickly taken goals in dead-ball situations. A famous instance in recent history is when Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold took a corner kick quickly to assist Divock Origi’s winning goal against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. The only difference with the Bengaluru game was that it was a corner kick and not a freekick, and that Barcelona players didn't walk off the pitch to protest it.
Cheeky goals like these are not scored every day but when they are scored they are celebrated for the quick thinking behind them. In Chhetri's case, however, he was vilified for it by the majority of the Kerala Blasters supporters. But it was Vukomanovic's action of withdrawing his team that cast a shadow on the match, which was won fairly by Bengaluru FC.
It is not the case that Vukomanovic doesn't know the rules of the game. The Serbian is an experienced coach who has been hailed as a hero in Kerala for turning the team around since he took over in 2021. He commands his team and the fans love him. So why would a pragmatic coach like Vukomanovic do what he did? There were 11 professionals on the pitch who followed their coach into the tunnel, forfeiting not just a match but their entire season. It was plain foolish but it happened.
But we aren't surprised that this happened in the ISL, a league where every second match is marred by poor refereeing. In ISL, every time something goes against a team they point a finger at the match officials. It's a league where referees are manipulated through play-acting to get favourable decisions. Even when the league organisers have fielded experienced foreign coaches in the knockout stages, they have made bloopers.
It means that the league has not developed enough to raise its standard of refereeing. The refs can only improve when there is a longer league and they get to operate consistently in a conducive ecosystem. The Indian referees do not get much exposure in officiating top-level football. Their quality can only improve when they get the exposure they need to improve. Alongside developing the quality of football, elevating the level of refereeing should be the top focus of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
As for Kerala Blasters, the Kanteerava fiasco will dent their balance books with the AIFF disciplinary committee deciding on a sanction against the club for abandoning the playoff. Given their standing as the most popular club in the league which struggles to attract fans to the stadium, it is likely the club will escape with a heavy fine and will not be disqualified from the domestic competitions. Whatever the outcome, the Bengaluru episode will now further spice up the southern derby, which was already a mouthwatering fixture in the league.
