ISL 2017/18: 5 controversial referring decisions that decided fate of the matches
The Indian Super League (ISL) is a thrill-a-minute roller coaster ride full of some incredible twists and turns. Since the league's inception in 2014, there have been plenty of noteworthy moments that have truly taken the world by storm. The stock of football in India has risen like never before and a different kind of focus on Indian sports appears to have developed.
Amid this rising popularity of football thanks to the ISL however, is a problem which seems to have developed from within the system itself. Several investors may have put together an outstanding league of football in the country, but the lack of quality officiating in games has cost the reputation of the league dearly to say the very least. For the first few seasons this problem existed just as much but was largely forgotten due to the ISL taking 'baby steps' in its progress, however things haven't got better and it's fair to say that the time has come for All India Football Federation (AIFF) to take some big decisions.
The AIFF is clear on its stance of not appointing foreign officials at the moment, and as things stand, the local referees are not up to the mark. Here are some controversial refereeing instances from this season:
#5 Armpit penalty awarded against Kerala Blasters
This one really hurt the Blasters in a big way. In a season where not a lot has gone right for the Kerala team, they were subjected to a horrendous refereeing call by match official Pranjal Banerjee when he adjudged Sandesh Jhingan to have handled the ball. Television replays clearly showed that the ball hit the defender's armpit. What's worse, it came in the dying minutes of the game and denied Kerala a derby win over bitter rivals Chennaiyin FC. The game ended 1-1.