Bengaluru FC owner slams referee after ISL final loss

Bengaluru FC ended up on the losing side against ATK Mohun Bagan in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 final at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa. Bengaluru FC entered the match with big hopes having earned qualification after beating League winners Mumbai City during the semi-final. However, Bengaluru FC were denied their second ISL title on Saturday night after ATK Mohun Bagan won 4-3 on penalties.

While the game ended early and concluded in a 2-2 draw, several decisions taken during the match by the referee became the talk of the town. This included the three penalties awarded during the match, one to Bengaluru and two to ATKMB. After the loss, Bengaluru FC owner Parth Jindal expressed his disappointment with the refereeing standards in the league on social media.

“Some of these decisions ruin big games”
Jindal was unhappy with the officials as he called for the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system in Indian football. “I’m sorry this league @IndSuperLeague definitely needs to introduce VAR – some of these decisions ruin big games and influence big games,” Jindal said. Dimitri Petratos scored the first goal of the night by converting a penalty in the 14th minute for ATKMB, before Bengaluru FC captain Sunil Chhetri converted another penalty at 45+5’ to equalize the score.

Roy Krishna then helped Bengaluru to take the lead by scoring at 78’, seven minutes before Petratos converted another penalty to level the scores yet again. “I am very proud of the boys @bengalurufc – you didn’t lose today – this one hurts because the decisions were just shocking. @IndianFootball,” Jindal further explained in his tweet.

Football fans react to Bengaluru FC owner’s criticism of refereeing in ISL
As the match went into the penalties, Chhetri, Krishna, and Alan Costa scored for Bengaluru, while Manvir Singh, Kiyan Nassiri, Liston Colaco, and Dimitri Petratos converted for ATKMB to clinch a 4-3 penalty shootout win. Meanwhile, Parth Jindal’s tweet divided the opinions of fans on social media as few lined up with his thoughts, while others felt it was a great match. “Are you serious @IndSuperLeague long time i didn’t seen a better final match than this.. The referees made the right decision,” a fan wrote.