Punjab FC urge AIFF to review referees' decisions vs NEUFC, calls for introduction of VAR in ISL

Mohali, Jan 12 Punjab FC have written a strongly-worded letter to the Chief Refereeing Officer of AIFF, Trevor Kettle to review the referees' key decisions that impacted the result of the team's match against NorthEast United FC and will also impact the next match against Mumbai City in the ongoing Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season.

Khaiminthang Lhungdim scored the equaliser and was sent off in injury time as ten men Punjab FC held NorthEast United to a 1-1 draw on Friday.

The club has appealed the ‘off-side circumstances leading to the goal scored by NorthEast’, the sending off of head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis, the first yellow card given to Khaiminthang and the yellow card shown to Nikhil Prabhu, which has resulted in the midfield general being suspended for the game against Mumbai City.

“The off-side circumstances leading to the goal scored by NorthEast, the decisions that led to the sending off of head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis are the main topics that have been asked to review. The yellow card given to Nikhil Prabhu, which has led to his suspension for the next match and the first yellow card given to Khaiminthang Lhungdim because of dissent is also mentioned in the letter,” read the statement by the club.

Things got heated up in the final minutes of the match. Punjab FC gaffer, Panagiotis Dilmperis was sent off to the stands by the referee and in the injury time goal-scorer Khaiminthang Lhungdim was sent off for receiving his second yellow card offence.

The club also addressed the importance of the introduction of the Virtual Assistant Referee (VAR) in the league which has become a need of the hour for Indian football in recent times.

“Punjab FC remains committed to fair play but is deeply concerned about recurring instances of questionable decisions during matches, which undermine the significant investments made by clubs. The implementation of VAR is essential to ensure transparency and consistency in officiating, as similar concerns have been raised by multiple clubs. Punjab FC urges the AIFF and ISL to address these issues promptly and take collective action to safeguard the interests of all clubs and uphold fair play,” the statement added.

Source: IANS