Different rules for ISL, Premiership despite tie-up
KOLKATA: The English Premier League (EPL) has a strategic partnership with the Indian Super League (ISL), one described as historic by the latter in a media release on June 22 this year. However, on the issue of referee’s decisions being reviewed, the two are not on the same page.
Proof of that came late on Wednesday when the ISL rejected Atletico de Kolkata’s appeal against Joffre Gonzalez’s sending-off against Chennaiyin. A letter from the All India Football Federation (AIFF), reached the ISL leaders confirming that.
The ISL rules state: “No protests may be made about the referee’s decisions regarding facts connecting with play, such decisions being final.”
This is not in sync with the EPL where referee’s on-field decisions are reviewed, even overturned. In 2009, the Football Association (FA) rescinded referee Rob Styles’s decision to issue a red card to West Brom’s Paul Robinson for a tackle on Manchester United’s Park Ji-sung. An international referee connected with the ISL though told HT that “unless there is a case of mistaken identity, a decision taken on the field is not reversed. What is important is what the referee saw, not what cameras showed.” The official requested anonymity as he is not authorised to talk to the media.
What this also does is drag the ISL into football’s stubbornness on refusing to use technology to aid match officials. Television replays showed that Gouramangi Singh made contact with Gonzalez in the 47th minute inside the area but referee Tejas Nagvenkar gave the Spaniard his second booking. So what could have been a penalty for Kolkata ended with them being down to 10 men. “I hope in future, we have the help of technology. It would cut out such mistakes,” said Kolkata central defender Arnab Mondal. Central midfielder Oftense Nato agreed. Speaking earlier, FC Pune City’s medio Kostas Katsuranis, the only 2014 World Cup player in the ISL, though said he would be prefer technological assistance be restricted to just the use of goalline technology.