The FIFA World Cup qualifier match between India and Qatar became a center of controversy over an allowed goal. On Tuesday, Qatar was awarded a goal despite the ball being visibly out of the field.
It was a deciding goal as the Men In Blues were leading 1-0 up to that point. That equalizer not only allowed Qatar to get back in the game, but it completely broke the focus of the Indian team.
The incident happened in the 73rd minute when Yousef Ayem attempted a header of Abdullah Alahrak’s free kick. Indian skipper and goalkeeper Gurpreet Sing Sandu made an exceptional save and got on the ground.
It was completely visible that the ball had crossed the line and either a goal kick or a corner kick should be awarded. But Sandhu was left bird-watching in utter shock when Hashimi Hussein kicked the ball inside the bounds allowing Aymen to score the equaliser.
FIFA Must Investigate!
The Qatar team later scored the winning goal and knocked India out of the qualifiers. AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey was furious over the decision and urged both FIFA and AFC to investigate the incident.
He stated “Victory and defeat are a part and parcel of the game, we have learned to accept it gracefully. Although one of the two goals scored against India yesterday night left a few questions unanswered. We have written to the FIFA Head of Qualifiers, AFC head of referees, AFC head of competitions, and the match commissioner, regarding grave supervision error that practically cost us a place in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers round 3.”
He urged the members in charge for a thorough investigation and asked for sporting compensation to address the injustice.
Players Angry!
The result has left Indian players angry. Sunil Chettri gave his all in these qualifiers and retired just a match prior and that is why this match meant even more to everyone.
Skipper Sandhu called it an “Unfortunate Result” and left without saying much. On the other hand, coach Igor Stimac also showed his dismay and called it an “irregular” goal that killed his team’s dream.
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