ISL coaches lament inconsistent refereeing

Ranko Popovic lambasted inconsistent refereeing, which cost FC Pune City the game against Bengaluru FC at Balewadi Sports Complex on Thursday night. The hosts controlled the game in the first half and went ahead through Adil Khan’s flying header in the 35th minute.

But the game changed in the second half after Baljit Sahni was sent off in the 56th minute, reducing the home side to ten men. The visitors trailing 0-1, punished the Pune defence repeatedly from the right to pump in three goals in the last half hour of play with Miku getting a brace and Sunil Chhetri netting moments before the final whistle.

“In the last game against Jamshedpur, the referee was terrible. Today he was perfect in the first half, but in the second, he started giving us cards. I have no problem with the cards if he gave the same punishment for similar offences. The players told me that we were denied a penalty towards the end. It could have been 2-2. I want to see these two things – the penalty and the red card,” Popovic rued.

The Serbian coach felt his players were penalised while the visiting players were let off despite committing fouls. “Diego (Carlos) was fouled in front of me and we didn’t even get a free kick. I don’t know how this is permitted. We are on a counterattack and a substitute kicks an extra ball onto the pitch to stop the game and they are not sanctioned for this. The referee is watching and not doing anything,” he said.

Though Bengaluru FC coach Albert Roca didn’t comment on the red card decision, but he too felt the refereeing hadn’t been up to the mark. The red card for goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu previously against FC Goa, followed by a two-match suspension was harsh, according to the coach.

“Sometimes we can profit from it (man advantage) and take advantage, and at other times not. What happened in Goa was a real shame, as we were punished so much. Today the red card changed things for us. But you need to know how to manage the situation, it is not easy,” he said.

Both coaches felt the red card to Baljit Sahni changed the game. “Until this, I think we controlled the game, we were very clever and smart. I think the key moment of the game was Diego’s chance for 2-0 before this. If Diego scored that goal, it would have been a very different game. They (later) controlled the game and played well. They scored because we left a little bit more space for them,” Popovic said.

Roca was happy to take three points from the game after they were at the receiving end in the first half. “For sure we are happy about this victory. We knew it would be difficult today. Pune had a very good first half. They had  us in trouble and we could not play our game. In the second half, we fared better. But the the red card changed things completely,” he said.

Besides Sahni’s red card, the hosts’ Marcelo Pereira was down with fever and Isaac Chhakchhuak suffered an injury in first half to be replaced by Kean Lewis. They now have time till December 23 to sort out injury woes before they take on FC Goa in an away game. Table toppers Bengaluru FC now face Chennaiyin FC at home on Sunday.