ISL 2017: Sameehg Doutie storms off from Jamshedpur FC dressing room after win over Delhi Dynamos
What's the story?
Jamshedpur FC, the latest entrants in the ISL, gave rise to the first massive controversy in ISL 2017 after their star midfielder Sameehg Doutie stormed away from the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium after his side's 1-0 win against Delhi Dynamos FC, on Thursday.
In case you didn't know
Jamshedpur FC have enjoyed a reasonably good season so far with one win and three ties from their four games.
South African winger Sameehg Doutie, who played for Atletico de Kolkata in the previous seasons, was a major signing for Jamshedpur. He has enjoyed a good season so far and has been a force to reckon with in attack.
The heart of the matter
Having fought tooth and nail in the goalless first half, Izu Azuka found the back of the net for Jamshedpur FC that set of wild celebrations in the Jamshedpur camp. It also turned out to be the only goal in the game as Jamshedpur FC won 1-0.
Coach Steve Coppell had decided not to start Doutie in the match, and only brought him on in the 90th minute, something that seemed to have irked the South African winger.
Doutie, who was not too happy with this, is said to have had a verbal confrontation with his teaammates, before storming out of the stadium, according to sources close to the club. The 28-year-old did not even board the team bus, as he left the stadium separately.
In a baffling series of events, club authorities tried searching for the South African through the night, as he did not turn up at the team hotel either. However, Doutie was later found at another hotel in the city, a few hours before the team set off for their return back to Jamshedpur, via Ranchi.
Sportskeeda tried to reach out to Jamshedpur FC with regards to this issue, but they remained unavailable for comment.
What's next?
In the line-up of the fixtures for next week, Jamshedpur FC will host FC Pune City. Coach Steve Coppell will hope that Doutie sorts out his issues with his teammates and will be able to bring his best against Pune.
Author's take
The South African midfielder has been an instrumental part of the Jamshedpur setup this season and if he can resolve the issue ahead of the game against Pune FC, it would be a major boost for his team.