ISL 2017/18: Jamshedpur FC assistant coach Ishfaq Ahmed openly questions referee's decision on social media
What's the story?
ISL franchise Jamshedpur FC's assistant coach Ishfaq Ahmed questioned the match officials' decision during his side's fixture against FC Goa in a Twitter post on Friday.
In case you didn't know...
Ishfaq Ahmed is a former India U-23 player who has played for many clubs in the Hero I-League with stints at HAL, Dempo, Salgaoncar FC, Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Mumbai FC and Pune FC.
Ahmed was a part of the ISL side Kerala Blasters for the first three seasons before joining newcomers Jamshedpur FC in this edition as Steve Coppell's assistant.
The heart of the matter
Jamshedpur FC faced off against FC Goa in the Fatorda Stadium in Goa and the match ended with the home side winning 2-1 amidst some controversial decisions.
FC Goa was awarded a penalty that was deemed by many fans as a soft one and the second goal scored by FC Goa's Spanish midfielder Manuel Lanzarote was called into question after he appeared to be offside.
Ishfaq Ahmed posted a picture on his Twitter profile where he highlights the moment when Lanzarote is played the ball through the Jamshedpur FC defence. The offside call has been deemed dubious by fans on social media as well and the Jamshedpur FC assistant also questioned the veracity of the call, albeit indirectly.
Even Kerala Blasters star striker Iain Hume replied to the tweet and showed sympathy for his former team-mate at the Kochi club.
What's next?
Jamshedpur FC are currently in seventh place in the ISL standings with 10 points from their nine matches. In their next game, they take on Ishfaq's former team Kerala Blasters on 17 January, 2018 at the JRD Tata Sports Complex.
Author's take
The match between FC Goa and Jamshedpur FC was peppered with many questionable calls by the referees. The penalty decision and the offside call could have changed the outcome of the match and therefore, has led to the discussion on social media about the dubious calls.