ISL 2018-19: Jamshedpur FC 3-1 Chennaiyin FC - 5 Talking Points

#3 ISL refereeing

It was another poor day at the office for the match officials [Image: ISL]

Referee Umesh Bora who was officiating his second game today was spot on, on one penalty call and the other one was a little bit controversial. He also had small instances during the match which were saddening to see from a referee of a top league.

There were a couple of notable instances where the referee showed a lack of experience.

The first one came in the initial stages of the game when a Chennaiyin player was caught offside by the assistant and the whistle was blown to stop the game but the game went on anyway and surprisingly even the JFC players didn’t stand up for it.

The other one came in the 81st Minute when Robin Gurung was fouled outside of the box and the ref allowed play-on even with Robin lying on the ground and play happening by his side.

The JFC players couldn’t play the advantage as the game continued within touching distance of the injured man and it was impossible to pass the ball in the run of play. As the Jamshedpur players deliberately put the ball away to draw the ref’s attention, the referee awarded a throw to Chennaiyin.

There was also an instance when a freekick was taken without the ref blowing the whistle and just like anything else in ISL it was also given a pass.

In this crucial stage of the tournament, the quality of the officiating is what matters which when compromised, disrupts the overall credibility of the game.