ISL 2017/18: Bengaluru FC CEO Parth Jindal slams referee for poor decisions against ATK

What's the story?

Bengaluru FC's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Parth Jindal slammed the refereeing standard in Sunday's ISL match which his team played against ATK.

In case you didn't know...

Parth Jindal is the heir to the JSW group and the Managing Director of JSW Cement. He is the Director of JSW Sport and serves as the CEO of Bengaluru FC.

The heart of the matter

Bengaluru FC defeated defending ISL champions ATK 1-0 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium courtesy a stunner from their captain Sunil Chhetri.

Parth Jindal, the Bengaluru CEO tweeted after the match and criticised the referee. He even made a plea to All India Football Federation (AIFF), the governing body of football in India and requested them to take the matter seriously.

Great win for @bengalurufc - must say that the referee was absolutely appalling. @IndSuperLeague - AIFF please do wake up - this is a joke

— Parth Jindal (@ParthJindal11) January 7, 2018

Bengaluru FC was denied a penalty for a foul on their striker Miku in the box by ATK keeper Debjit Majumder. Replays confirmed that there was contact and a spot kick should have been awarded.

The ISL has been recently marred by controversies surrounding the referees with several coaches coming out openly in their criticism. The AIFF even inflicted touchline bans and monetary fines on two coaches - FC Pune City's Ranko Popovic and Chennaiyin FC's John Gregory.

What's next?

Bengaluru FC's win against ATK put them atop the ISL standings. They will next take on Delhi Dynamos FC away from the home on January 14, 2018.

Author's take

The instances of poor refereeing have been on display too often in this season and Jindal's tweet reiterates the voices that are being raised for improving the refereeing standard in the league. The coaches that were banned should have maintained their decorum but their reactions are a testament to the poor quality of refereeing prevalent in Indian football.