FIFA, the governing body of world football, has spent a lot of time over the last two decades assessing and modifying the rules of the game to ensure the safety of players. Outdated, ancient laws on tackling meant that referees issued a red card only when they deemed that a player had shown deliberate intent to hurt an opponent. "Going for the ball" was a valid excuse to get away with recklessness.
Today, however, the laws are much tighter. If a tackle is “careless, reckless or excessive in its force", a player could be sent off. In addition, a list of guidelines is provided to assist referees in their decision-making process. In recent years, two-footed tackles have been banned from the sport – warranting a straight red card irrespective of whether the player has made contact with an opponent. Additionally, tackles that lead with the studs – referred to as “studs-up” tackles – are also frowned upon and meet with the same outcome.
In the Indian Super League, most referees appear to be either far too lenient or completely ignorant of such laws. Their incompetence is endangering the careers of players. In letting horrifying challenges go unpunished, they are allowing a culture of poor tackling to grow within the league.
Officiating howlers
This was evident on November 20 in the "southern derby" between Chennaiyin FC and Kerala Blasters. On the stroke of half time, Kerala midfielder Mehtab Hossain, committed a full-blooded and deliberate two-footed stamp on John Stiven Mendoza when the Chennai forward was lying on the turf. Kerala were 0-2 down – Mendoza had scored one of those goals – and Hossain could not contain his frustration. It was nothing short of an assault. The ball had rolled out for a throw-in well before the Kerala midfielder arrived on the scene, first jumping instinctively to evade Mendoza before deliberately landing on his leg.
An understandably outraged Mendoza pulled his socks down to show the marks left on his skin. Indian referee Pratap Singh called Hossain over and showed him a yellow card. It was a perplexing decision. Had the referee not witnessed the incident, which happened right under the nose of the linesman, he would not have issued a card at all. If he had seen the stamp, or had been informed of it by his assistants, a red card would have been the only choice. There should have been no compromise.
The incident added to the ISL’s ever-growing list of officiating howlers – something we have grown accustomed to since the very beginning. Only 68 seconds into ISL’s first-ever match in October last year, Mumbai City midfielder Syed Rahim Nabi flew in two-footed and caught Atletico de Kolkata defender Biswajit Saha. The result was only a yellow card. American referee Christopher Penso, perhaps realising the significance of the occasion, let Nabi off the hook that day, but set a bad precedent.
Blunders galore
The November 20 blunder was not referee Pratap Singh’s first this season. He had failed to send Didier Zokora off after the Pune City midfielder blatantly lashed out at FC Goa’s Leonardo Moura from behind. Zokora was upset with Moura for not putting the ball sportingly out of play so that his teammate could be treated for injury. In a case of mistaken identity, Singh took his time and eventually booked Kalu Uche instead of Zokora.
There have been at least five other instances of violent play going unpunished this season, drawing the ire of managers who simply want consistency and common sense in a league already plagued with injuries.
Indian referee Tejas Navgenkar only cautioned Delhi Dynamos midfielder Florent Malouda for a potentially leg-breaking tackle on Pune’s Sushanth Mathew, who was stretchered off the park but grateful that his leg had not snapped in two. In another match, referee Navgenkar failed to dismiss Siam Hanghal when the NorthEast United FC midfielder slid in recklessly on Kerala’s Josu, missing the ball completely and throwing his opponent more than five feet in the air.
Kuwaiti referee Shaban Ali did not even declare a foul when Delhi’s Anderson Chicao cleared the ball out of play but deliberately followed through on Sameehg Doutie, embedding his studs in the Kolkata winger’s gut in a hollow act of aggression.
Similarly, Indian referee Santosh Kumar awarded only a corner to Pune after winger Jackichand Singh was scythed down by a sliding, two-footed “ankle-breaker” (as labelled by the commentators) by Delhi’s Souvik Chakraborty. On both occasions, a sending off should have been the obvious punishment.
Last week, experienced Chinese referee Han Tai failed to see the aggressive intent behind Mumbai midfielder Cristian Bustos’s tackle on his NorthEast counterpart Seityasen Singh. Bustos charged in like a raging bull with the sole intention of hurting his opponent. Not for a moment did he have eyes on the ball.
Careers at risk
The ISL must raise its refereeing standards before next season and even consider bringing in retrospective punishment for players based on video evidence (as is done in the English Premier League). However, it must be noted that such punishment in England is only meted out if it is established that the referee had not seen the incident on the field. (In none of the mentioned ISL incidents were the officials blindsided.)
Inept refereeing has not been restricted to misjudging horrendous tackles alone. On numerous occasions, decisions on penalties and offsides have also been baffling, but at least such calls only affect matches. Violent play, though, can affect careers and lives as it threatens the safety of players. The sport has no place for it and it is high time the ISL’s governing body takes steps to clamp down on it.
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Today, however, the laws are much tighter. If a tackle is “careless, reckless or excessive in its force", a player could be sent off. In addition, a list of guidelines is provided to assist referees in their decision-making process. In recent years, two-footed tackles have been banned from the sport – warranting a straight red card irrespective of whether the player has made contact with an opponent. Additionally, tackles that lead with the studs – referred to as “studs-up” tackles – are also frowned upon and meet with the same outcome.
In the Indian Super League, most referees appear to be either far too lenient or completely ignorant of such laws. Their incompetence is endangering the careers of players. In letting horrifying challenges go unpunished, they are allowing a culture of poor tackling to grow within the league.
Officiating howlers
This was evident on November 20 in the "southern derby" between Chennaiyin FC and Kerala Blasters. On the stroke of half time, Kerala midfielder Mehtab Hossain, committed a full-blooded and deliberate two-footed stamp on John Stiven Mendoza when the Chennai forward was lying on the turf. Kerala were 0-2 down – Mendoza had scored one of those goals – and Hossain could not contain his frustration. It was nothing short of an assault. The ball had rolled out for a throw-in well before the Kerala midfielder arrived on the scene, first jumping instinctively to evade Mendoza before deliberately landing on his leg.
An understandably outraged Mendoza pulled his socks down to show the marks left on his skin. Indian referee Pratap Singh called Hossain over and showed him a yellow card. It was a perplexing decision. Had the referee not witnessed the incident, which happened right under the nose of the linesman, he would not have issued a card at all. If he had seen the stamp, or had been informed of it by his assistants, a red card would have been the only choice. There should have been no compromise.
The incident added to the ISL’s ever-growing list of officiating howlers – something we have grown accustomed to since the very beginning. Only 68 seconds into ISL’s first-ever match in October last year, Mumbai City midfielder Syed Rahim Nabi flew in two-footed and caught Atletico de Kolkata defender Biswajit Saha. The result was only a yellow card. American referee Christopher Penso, perhaps realising the significance of the occasion, let Nabi off the hook that day, but set a bad precedent.
Blunders galore
The November 20 blunder was not referee Pratap Singh’s first this season. He had failed to send Didier Zokora off after the Pune City midfielder blatantly lashed out at FC Goa’s Leonardo Moura from behind. Zokora was upset with Moura for not putting the ball sportingly out of play so that his teammate could be treated for injury. In a case of mistaken identity, Singh took his time and eventually booked Kalu Uche instead of Zokora.
There have been at least five other instances of violent play going unpunished this season, drawing the ire of managers who simply want consistency and common sense in a league already plagued with injuries.
Indian referee Tejas Navgenkar only cautioned Delhi Dynamos midfielder Florent Malouda for a potentially leg-breaking tackle on Pune’s Sushanth Mathew, who was stretchered off the park but grateful that his leg had not snapped in two. In another match, referee Navgenkar failed to dismiss Siam Hanghal when the NorthEast United FC midfielder slid in recklessly on Kerala’s Josu, missing the ball completely and throwing his opponent more than five feet in the air.
Kuwaiti referee Shaban Ali did not even declare a foul when Delhi’s Anderson Chicao cleared the ball out of play but deliberately followed through on Sameehg Doutie, embedding his studs in the Kolkata winger’s gut in a hollow act of aggression.
Similarly, Indian referee Santosh Kumar awarded only a corner to Pune after winger Jackichand Singh was scythed down by a sliding, two-footed “ankle-breaker” (as labelled by the commentators) by Delhi’s Souvik Chakraborty. On both occasions, a sending off should have been the obvious punishment.
Last week, experienced Chinese referee Han Tai failed to see the aggressive intent behind Mumbai midfielder Cristian Bustos’s tackle on his NorthEast counterpart Seityasen Singh. Bustos charged in like a raging bull with the sole intention of hurting his opponent. Not for a moment did he have eyes on the ball.
Careers at risk
The ISL must raise its refereeing standards before next season and even consider bringing in retrospective punishment for players based on video evidence (as is done in the English Premier League). However, it must be noted that such punishment in England is only meted out if it is established that the referee had not seen the incident on the field. (In none of the mentioned ISL incidents were the officials blindsided.)
Inept refereeing has not been restricted to misjudging horrendous tackles alone. On numerous occasions, decisions on penalties and offsides have also been baffling, but at least such calls only affect matches. Violent play, though, can affect careers and lives as it threatens the safety of players. The sport has no place for it and it is high time the ISL’s governing body takes steps to clamp down on it.