4 players shown red cards
SHILLONG: Rangdajied United were left with just eight players on the pitch in the last of the U-19 I-League North East Zone matches at the JN Stadium, Polo, on Tuesday after ugly incidents marred proceedings.
Royal Wahingdoh won the dead rubber 5-0 and also had one of their players sent off for his part in a violent second half scuffle.
The junior Blues were reduced to 10 men in the 51st minute after their goalkeeper Melverick Nongkhlaw received a red card after being found guilty of a direct foul.
But worse was to come around 25 minutes later when Wahingdoh’s Sushil Meitei was brought down by a Rangdajied player.
RWFC’s Eijingmut Lyngdoh took offence to what happened to one of his team mates and he was then set upon by several Rangdajied players, with the Royals joining in.
After order was restored, RUFC’s Mebanshan Suting and Banshan Nongdhar were sent off along with Wahingdoh’s Sonam Sherpa.
Lyngdoh had to receive medical treatment for the injuries he sustained in the prolonged scuffle.
This game will, unfortunately, be remembered for the ugly incidents rather than the excellent victory for the Royals.
Debutant Jerry Zonunsanga calmly opened the scoring in the 18th minute, but the real onslaught began after Sushil Meitei’s 61st minute goal that saw RWFC score four goals in the second half.
Loken Meitei made it 3-0 with an easy tap after receiving a calculated pass from Zonunsanga in the 73rd minute.
Sushil went on to score his second of the match in the 89th minute before Zonunsanga also earned his brace with a stoppage time goal.
Wahingdoh thus ended their U-19 I-League campaign with their fourth victory.
The only matches they did not win were two defeats to Shillong Lajong, the team that qualified from the Zone for the final round.
The Royals end in second place in the four-team table.
Rangdajied, meanwhile, could only win one of their six fixtures, leaving them in third place.
The Guwahati-based Green Valley brought up the rear.
All the previous U-19 matches were played in the right spirit, for the most part, and Tuesday’s disgraceful performance is a stain, not just on Shillong football, but the state and the region as a whole.
The JN Stadium also witnessed ugly scenes last year during a Shillong Premier League match between Malki SC and Royal Wahingdoh FC.
Bobby L Nongbet, coach of the junior Royals, expressed his disappointment through an email after the game that went out to the local media.
In the communication he expressed his profound sadness at the way the Rangdajied players behaved, especially their lack of “sporting spirit”.
He also said that he did not expect Khasi boys to play in this manner.
The U-19 Rangdajied team is comprised solely of local footballers, in direct contrast to their senior team.
What makes the situation all the more hurtful is that several of the RUFC players were part of the victorious U-17 team that won the Subroto Cup last year.
Mebanshan Suting, sent off for his part in the violence on Tuesday, was named Best Player in the Subroto Cup in New Delhi.