PANAJI
Goa were left seething after the final whistle, not only for the goal that they conceded in stoppage time which saw them lose 3-2 against heavyweights Kerala in the Santosh Trophy final round qualifiers but also for a major refereeing blunder that occurred in the first half.
Seven minutes into the game, Kerala midfielder Hrishi Dhath, donning the number 13 shirt, brought down Goa attacker Mahammed Faheez near the half-line. In the live broadcast, referee Shantan Agrawal can be seen showing Dhath a yellow card whilst his midfield comrade, Arjun V (jersey No 14) walks right next to Hrishi. The referee jots down number 14 onto the card and the game goes on.
In the added time of the first half and with Kerala already 1-0 up through a Nijo Gilbert goal in the 27th minute, Dhath and Faheez get tangled once again. The former's badly timed attempt to dispossess Faheez should've resulted in a second yellow card for the midfielder. The Goa players on the field were oblivious to the fact that Hrishi should've received marching orders but the dugout called for a red card. The commentator too mentioned it was a second yellow for the midfielder who appeared confused on the field.
The Goa contingent appealed at the break regarding the incident. However, the referees claimed that it was jersey No 14 that was booked and not 13. The Sunshine State had witnessed a gloomy morning at the Capital Football Arena in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
"The yellow card incident was the referee's blunder. Our team protested, even the Kerala player was moving out. The referee consulted the assistant referee but kept quiet and said he had earlier shown the card to the number 14 player which was wrong," Goa coach Norberto Gonsalves told The Goan after the game. Goa lodged a complaint with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) pertaining to the matter.
Shades of Manipur 2002
It was 2002, Goa were playing Manipur in the second semifinal of the 58th Santosh Trophy at the Khuman Lampak Main Stadium which is surrounded by picturesque mountains in Imphal. In the 53rd minute, a through ball from Goa's Covan Lawrence found Climax Lawrence, who powered through Manipur's off-side trap to put Goa 1-0 up. A glorious moment for the team that had lost to Kerala in the finals of the previous edition.
But Goa's joy was short-lived as Manipur claimed that Climax had made an early run in the build-up to the goal and was offside. However, the officials didn't budge and the goal stood. Referee SM Balu and linesman Biswajit Bera's 'mistake' ignited a strong reaction in the arena that sent shockwaves across the quiet mountainous region as the Manipuri players protested the decision with the home crowd up in flames.
Thereon, play was disrupted several times as the Manipuri fans were having none of it. Water bottles were constantly tossed onto the pitch, and banners and the scoreboard were damaged, according to a report by Sujit Bhar.
The police and players' appeal to the fans to calm matters went in vain with the match finally being abandoned. A rematch was scheduled with tight security which Manipur went on to win 4-3 via penalties. The Northeastern State were crowned champions that year after beating Kerala 2-1 in the final.
What next
Awarding Goa a rematch is out of bounds but the Goa Football Association (GFA) was expecting AIFF to at least award both sides a point. "Ideally, our demand is that there should be three points because he (Kerala No 13) becomes an ineligible player but the rules don't allow that," said Omkar Vaigankar, Goa team Manager.
However, the rules don't allow for a match to be replayed or points be awarded in case of a refereeing error, according to Trevor Kettle, Chief Referring Officer, AIFF. "He (Trevor) agreed and promised that observations are correct and appropriate sanctions have been taken against the referee," Omkar added.
"The refereeing error has cost us valuable points. We could have won the game. We played clean and better football. There should be a mechanism in AIFF to redress these grave refereeing errors," opined the Goa team manager.
The State will face Odisha on Sunday at 3 pm at the Kalinga Stadium and are determined to bounce back after putting on a strong performance against Kerala. "We are all charged up for the upcoming challenge. We want to go and express ourselves and show what true Goan football is. I am very confident that the boys will do it," concluded Omkar.
