Agencies
New Delhi, Dec 25: Japanese referee Yudai Yamamoto who supervised the ISL-II final between ultimate winners Chennaiyin FC and runners-up FC Goa has sent a letter to the All India Football Federations (AIFF) blasting the players and officials of the Goan club. His facts have been supported by match official Mamukoya who in his report to the AIFF has stated that he and the other match officials were physically threatened along with the choicest of expletives by people wearing FC Goa colours.
The ending of the tournament happened on a sour note with Chennaiyin FC captain Elano Blumer arrested for allegedly assaulting a co-owner of Goa FC. But if Yamamoto’s letter is to be believed, then it was the officials and players of FC Goa who were largely responsible for spreading unrest after the end of the game.
In his letter to the AIFF, the Japanese official has written that at one point of time, he feared for his life. “I and the other officials who conducted the match were being threatened continuously,” said Yamamoto. “We were told that we would not be able to leave the city. I still have nightmares about my visit to India.”
Another portion of the letter published by a football-specific website states, “Immediately after the final whistle, many substitute players and officials led by Rajesh Malgi, the equipment manager of FC Goa, rushed towards me, surrounded me, scared me and threatened me with physical assault.
“In the locker room, when we were ready to go back to our hotel, tired and traumatised, we were informed by the match commissioner to wait in our locker room. We kept waiting for about two-and-a- half hours after the final whistle and then left the stadium. We were taken to another hotel, much after midnight without our luggage. In the next morning, we received our luggage.”
As it is, India’s image as a football-playing nation is not very bright. The recent incident during the ISL-II final will further tarnish it among the international administrators of the game.
Meanwhile Mamukoya in his report has given a clean chit to Elano and said instead that the Brazilian was attacked by footballers of the Goan side and he somehow managed to escape. He has also stated that Elano was not responsible for any act of violence as reported by the officials of FC Goa. Lastly he has also said that if such conditions continue to exist, competent referees from other parts of the world would stop coming to India and the standards of supervision will suffer.
