Sunil Chhetri's wife Sonam Bhattacherjee responds to hate against the couple after controversial playoff match between Bengaluru FC & Kerala Blasters

After Kerala Blasters walked off in protest of an allegedly erroneous refereeing decision in the ISL 2022-23 knockout tie against Bengaluru FC, the emotions from their fans spilled over into social media.

It then transformed into deplorable comments and reactions against Sunil Chhetri, the man whose controversial free-kick ended KBFC's journey in the league this season. It wasn't just limited to hate speech on the internet, however, as it even boiled down to Blasters' supporters burning an effigy of the talismanic Indian forward.

Chhetri's wife, Sonam Bhattacherjee, was also on the receiving end of a lot of deplorable comments from opposition fans. On Wednesday (March 8), she put out a statement on her social media account against all the targeted "hate, toxic thoughts, and frustration."

She said:

"In the midst of football, rivalry, passion and support, how did we forget to be kind to, and civil with each other? I sincerely hope that you left behind all your hate, toxic thoughts and frustration on social media, and are at home in peace around loved ones. I hope you got what you wanted by abusing and threatening the family."

She added:

"Kerala is a beautiful state with warm and welcoming people, so no amount of hate will change my perception. For all the emotions that football brings once the final whistle is blown, let's keep kindness on top of that list."

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What was the controversy surrounding Sunil Chhetri's goal for Bengaluru FC against Kerala Blasters FC?

After being brought down just outside the opposition box in the 97th minute of extra time, Sunil Chhetri presided over the dead ball situation. The veteran forward eyed the Kerala Blasters' defenders still out of order, arranging the wall. He took a quick free-kick that saw a helpless Prabhsukhan Singh Gill watch the ball nestle into the top corner.

With the goal standing, Kerala Blasters players swamped the referee in protest. They argued that their skipper Adrian Luna, who was initially blocking the quick free-kick, was allegedly instructed by referee Crystal John to move back during Chhetri's attempt.

They believed the goal should've been scrapped and when it wasn't, Kerala Blasters head coach Ivan Vukomanovic, who was seen going ballistic on the sidelines, soon stormed onto the pitch and directed his players to leave in protest.

Meanwhile, Chhetri, during post-match interactions, disclosed that he attempted the free-kick only after consulting with the referee and hence didn't find any reason for it to be disallowed.

To this day, the debate still rages on, even though Bengaluru FC progressed to the semifinals and took a 1-0 lead against Mumbai City FC in the first leg.