Two-match ban on India coach Stimac likely
India head coach Igor Stimac could be charged with using offensive language against match officials and banned for two games after being shown the red card on Tuesday, said an official of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). Not authorised to speak to the media, the official wished to stay anonymous.
Such a ban would rule out Stimac from taking further part in the SAFF Championships should India qualify for the July 4 final. The mandatory one-match ban following a red card means Stimac is suspended from Saturday’s semi-final against Lebanon.
Referee Alomgir showed Stimac the red card in the 80th minute of the 1-1 draw against Kuwait in India’s final group league game. Stimac had returned to the bench for the game after serving a one-match ban for the red card in India’s first match, against Pakistan on June 21.
The referee and match commissioner Dorji Mindu’s reports have been sent to the SAFF Disciplinary and Ethics Committee, the federation’s general secretary Anwarul Haq told HT on Wednesday. “SAFF will try and announce a decision by Friday,” Haq said over the phone from Bengaluru.
The disciplinary committee is headed by Gursimran Brar but being Indian, he has recused himself. The case will be taken up by the remaining four members. The secretariat under Haq will present Stimac with a charge notice. The India head coach will be allowed to present his version of events, after which the committee will take a decision.
“After the match, Stimac verbally abused the match officials. The referee’s report mentions this. Usually, some leniency is shown for the first offence, which is why he was not punished beyond the mandatory one-match ban for the first red card,” said the SAFF official.
Speaking separately, a SAFF Championship match official who was not involved in the India-Kuwait game also said that Stimac had verbally abused referee Alomgir and his team after the match. The match official requested anonymity because he is not supposed to speak with the media.
India’s Rahim Ali and Kuwait’s Hamad Al Qallaf were also shown the red card for retaliation.
While there is provision for SAFF to escalate this to AFC and FIFA and even fine Stimac, the match official said he couldn’t recall either happening in the 30-year-old competition. “Punishments usually end with the competition, so a two-match ban is likely,” the match official said.
Stimac’s behaviour has got the All India Football Federation (AIFF) worried. No one wanted to come on record because defending champions India are still in the fray but one AIFF official said secretary-general Shaji Prabhakaran will have a “conversation” with the coach before the semi-final. “India will be at a severe disadvantage if it gets known that their coach can be provoked into seeing a red card,” said the AIFF official.
India assistant-coach Mahesh Gawali, who took charge against Nepal when Stimac was suspended and will be interim head coach in the semi-final, criticised the supervision on Tuesday.
"The refereeing was poor and the SAFF has to think about the quality of the officials or the tournament will suffer. Our coach (Stimac) was faultless and the referee could not control the match. Our team was brilliant and Kuwait was very rough," he said in Bengaluru after the match.
Gawali also said the yellow card for Stimac earlier was wrong. "Our coach was just having a conversation with the player and the referee, after talking with the line officials, approached him (Stimac) and showed the card. They were targeting him."
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