NEW DELHI: The All India
Football
Federation (
AIFF
) has officially submitted a complaint to the match commissioner, requesting a detailed examination of a contentious goal that Qatar scored during a pivotal
FIFA World Cup
qualifier in Doha.
According to AIFF sources, the federation is advocating for an "extensive review" of the goal that was validated by the South Korean referee, Kim Woo-Sung, even though there was clear evidence that the ball had exited the field of play.
"We have lodged a complaint with the match commissioner and are seeking a thorough investigation into the whole thing," said an AIFF official.
This incident occurred during a critical match at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, which India ultimately lost 1-2 on Tuesday, a defeat that eliminated their chances of advancing to the third round of the
FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
for the 2026 tournament.
The match commissioner, Hamed Momeni from Iran, is responsible for overseeing the match's organization and ensuring compliance with FIFA regulations.
The controversy centres around a moment in the 73rd minute when Abdullah Alahrak's free-kick led to Yousef Ayem's attempted header, which India's captain and goalkeeper, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, initially saved. However, as Sandhu was on the ground, the ball, after rolling over the line, was kicked back into play by Hashmi Hussein, allowing Aymen to score.
The rules clearly state that "the ball is out of play if it is wholly passed over the goal line or touchline on the ground or in the air," which was evidently not adhered to in this instance.
Given that the ball had visibly crossed the line, play should have been halted and resumed with a corner kick, as Sandhu was the last to touch the ball before it went out of play. Despite protests from the Indian team, the referee awarded the goal to Qatar, a decision that stood.
(Inputs from PTI)
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