Referee in S’pore Vs Indonesia Match Slammed for Making Controversial Decisions

It seems like 2021 is not the year for the Lions. From their team captain missing out on two international matches due to being tested positive for COVID-19 to the seemingly bias referee which resulted in their losing match, 2021 is not the year for them.

This time, things were a little more unfair due to the lack of technology during the match.

Referee in S’pore Vs Indonesia Match Slammed for Making Controversial Decisions

The referee, Qasim Matar Ali Al-Hatmi from Oman was the talk of the town during the AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 semi-finals match between Singapore and Indonesia yesterday (25 December 2021). Not because he wore a dinosaur suit out into the field which he didn’t, but because of the questionable decisions he made during the match.

Some spectators even called him the “12th player Indonesia”.

 

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AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 Semi-Finals Match

The AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 semi-finals match between Singapore and Indonesia was held at the National Stadium on 25 Dec.

As the hosts, you would think the Lions have an advantage but that was proven to be wrong as the referee threw out red card after red card after red card during the match.

It was so much so that the audience even though the referee was doing it to end the match quickly so that he can end work early.

Yellow Card

The first yellow card was given to Safuwan Baharudin, the Lions defender in the 36th minute despite what seemed like a clean tackle on Witan Sulaeman from Indonesia.

Singapore coach Tatsuma Yoshida disagrees with the decision but still try to accept it for the referee is always right, right?

During a tussle inside the penalty box, Safuwan was given his second yellow card while Singapore was preparing for a set-piece.

Despite the edginess of the yellow cards, the Lions held on and Song Ui-young fired home in the first half added time.

No-Penalty 

At the 40-minute mark, Amy Recha, Singapore forward, seemed to have been fouled by Indonesia’s Rachmat Irianto in the penalty box. Instead of touching the ball, Rachmat’s feet clipped Amy’s foot instead.

Despite the obvious mistake, the referee did not award Singapore a penalty.

Red Card

Irfan Fandi received a red card on the 67th minute when his left hand made contact with Indonesia’s Irfan Jaya face, forcing the player on the ground.

He was given a straight red card which seemed to be too harsh.

Offside Goal

In the 87th minute, Indonesia’s Pratama Arhan scored a goal for the team although he was kind of offside. The linesman did not raise the flag and the referee also allowed the goal.

But wait: with technology that can even detect how many percent of the ball is on the line, surely that won’t be an issue, right?

Well.

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No Video Assitant Referee (VAR)

Unlike in other matches, there was no VAR during this match. VAR has often been used to play back a match when the referee on-site makes decisions which nobody can agree to.

As Indonesia’s coach Shin Tae-young previously mentioned, “Technology should be built into the sport. Sometimes referees can’t be 100% accurate, and technology can help them limit errors.

“One referee mistake can destroy the whole tournament.”

The match between Indonesia and Singapore ended with a score of 4-2.

Maybe, just maybe, we should invest in a VAR system before we set out next World Cup goal.

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Featured Image: Youtube (Entertainment – Mediacorp)