Controversial penalty mars SAFF opener; FSL say wrong call

Sri Lanka will lodge a complaint with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) after a controversial penalty allowed Bangladesh to win the SAFF Football Championship curtain-raiser match 1-0 at the National Stadium in Maldives on Friday.

Referee Feras Taweel of Syria awarded a penalty to Bangladesh in the 56th minute after Sri Lankan defender Duckson Puslas accidentally handled the ball inside the box on a chip from Biplo Ahmed.

However, referee Taweel believed otherwise and had no hesitation in awarding Bangladesh a penalty and the ideal chance to take the lead with centre- back Topu Barman scoring the solitary goal of the match.

The furious Football Sri Lanka (FSL) officials are now planning to take the issue with the higher authorities. A spokesman of FSL said the referee should have awarded a free- kick to Bangladesh on that occasion instead of a penalty, which was too harsh for the Sri Lankan team.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka will take on Nepal in their second match on Monday at the same venue. Sri Lanka needs to win this game if they are to have any chances of progressing to the semi-finals.

However, Nepal have emerged as a major force in the recent past with a FIFA Ranking of 168 and are confident after having defeated the defending champions Maldives 1-0 in their opening encounter on Friday.

Sri Lanka and Nepal have played in 17 matches overall, with the former winning six and the latter winning three. Eight matches have ended in a draw.