NEW DELHI, Oct 28: The AIFF has decided to write to the South Asian Football Federation regarding Nepal holding up play for more than an hour during the SAFF Women’s Championship semifinal against India in Kathmandu in protest against the decision of the referee.
India took the lead in the 62nd minute but chaos prevailed at the Dasharath Stadium a few minutes later. Nepal scored but the goal was denied by the referee.
After that, the match was held up for more than 70 minutes as Nepal refused to continue, protesting the referee’s decision. Referee Om Choki from Bhutan waited patiently and after a lot of discussion between the supervising officials and the Nepal side, the match resumed.
The long wait and absolute confusion, apparently hampered the rhythm and concentration of the Indians. Seconds after the match resumed, Nepal equalised through Sabitra Bhandari that ultimately proved crucial in stretching the game beyond 90 minutes.In the penalty shoot-out, India lost 2-4 to crash out of the tournament.
“The All India Football Federation has taken note of the incidents that happened during the SAFF Women’s Championship 2024 semi-final in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Sunday, October 27, 2024,” the national federation said in a statement.
“The AIFF will write to SAFF regarding the incidents and will take it up at the appropriate platform. The India U19 women’s team faced an almost similar situation in a SAFF tournament in the recent past, and the AIFF feels such things are not good for the development of football in the region.” The AIFF said it’s proud that the players, support staff and officials displayed remarkable restraint and conducted themselves on the pitch under tiring circumstances in Kathmandu.
“The team came out with their heads high,” the AIFF said.“The safety of the women players and staff is always of utmost importance.”(PTI)
