Livid Santosh Kashyap blasts the referee, accuses Mumbai FC of playing ‘dirty football’

by Kaushal Shukla February 21, 2015

Mumbai FC inflicted a first loss on the road for Royal Wahingdoh in this season’s I-League as they came from behind to secure a 2-1 win at Cooperage

The result left Santosh Kashyap fuming at the referee’s performance who felt the referee had no control over the game. “The referee had a bad game. In the first half, Mumbai FC players were hit my players on 4-5 occasions but the referee did not take any action”.

Santsoh Kashyap believed his goalkeeper was pushed in the wake of the second goal. “They were constantly hitting my players and there was a clear push on my goalkeeper before the second goal which the referee should have spotted as it affected the result in a crucial game”.

The Royal Wahingdoh boss also accused Mumbai FC of being a dirty team. “Mumbai FC played dirty football. Being physical is one thing but being rough, not just one occasion but many times is not acceptable. But they are known for kicking and wasting time. Everyone knows Mumbai FC is a dirty team”.

Santosh Kashyap stressed on the importance of footballing experience for referees as a key criteria rather than sheer qualification. “The referee was just qualified but had no experience of playing football. This was evident from the way he performed today”.

Santosh Kashyap though was happy with his side’s performance and believes the game will serve as good learning curve for his side.

“We played very well and also created some chances. Away games are always tough and we managed to score, so I don’t have any complaints about the performance. It is a good learning curve for the players”.

Despite the defeat, Santosh Kashyap’ side remained at the top of the I-League, but he was quick to quash comparisons between his side and current Champions Bengaluru FC who won the title in their debut season.

“There is a lot of difference in Bengaluru FC and Royal Wahingdoh. Bengaluru have the best setup in the country. They have brought some real quality players, spending crores of rupees. My side is bunch of young and talented players who are doing very well, but we cannot be compared to Bengaluru FC”.

Santosh Kasyap is more keen on his side’s performance, rather than results as he tries to impose a different style of play at Royal Wahingdoh.

“I don’t put my players under pressure and the performance is more important to me. But we also have to look at results and strike a balance, but with such a young side, its important to focus on performances”.