New Delhi: At the final whistle, the players sunk to the ground, the disappointment showing clearly on their dejected faces. They continued to look forlorn and despondent at the post-match ceremony, until the match officials were called onto the stage. The moment referee Sukhbir Singh came to collect his medal, the entire Afghanistan team burst into a round of ironical applause. Another side of this relatively unknown team - their dark humour – was discovered.
For an unfancied Afghanistan, who were the second lowest-ranked team in the competition, reaching the final of the SAFF Cup itself was a massive achievement. However, the coach was unwilling to accept the 4-0 defeat to India at the last hurdle, and he – like his players – made it vehemently clear afterwards who he thought was to blame.
"The referee’s poor judgment cost us the game," said Yusuf Kargar, referring to the second-half incident when India were awarded a penalty and Afghan goalkeeper Hameedullah Yousufzari was sent off for pushing the referee. "It was not a penalty, and neither was it a red card."
"We lost the game from there on. In the first half, we played very well and had a lot of chances. In the second half, the referee gave a mistake penalty, which affected the morale of the team. The referee killed the game. Our team became disorganized and nervous after that and the morale of the players went down."
As India captain Climax Lawrence pointed out, however, the referee was right in sending off the goalkeeper. "The rules are simple. You cannot the touch the referee in any circumstance. I think the red card was justified," he said. "If you push the referee, it is a red card."
Kargar disagreed. "I think it was a yellow card. The goalkeeper got emotional. The referee should have understood."
In fact, the Afghan coach, who also led the national team for 13 years in the 80s, had a lot more to say about the Singapore official.
"The referee was partial to us. I don’t know whether he is a Sikh or a Hindu, but he supported them [India]. We shall write to the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) on the incident as to how such a young and inexperienced referee was officiating in the final."
"We are not upset because we lost, but because of the refereeing. The Indian team played very well, but the penalty made all the difference."
Predictably, India coach Savio Medeira did not share his views. "I don't think the referee was partial," he said, though admitting he wasn’t sure whether it was a penalty. "Anyway, it was not the referee who gave the penalty, but the linesman, who had a better view. So I cannot blame the referee."
India and Afghanistan were the only two teams in the competition not to employ a foreign coach, and Medeira understood his counterpart’s reaction.
"Maybe it was hard for Afghanistan as they started well. They had a good tournament and it will hurt them that it ended like this," he said. "Maybe if their goalkeeper had not lost his temper and kept his cool, things could have been different."
It was far from the fairytale finish surprise finalists Afghanistan would have hoped for. However, though they might have lost the trophy, they won many admirers with their style of play and character, among them Sunil Chhetri.
"Afghanistan played really well in this tournament," said India’s star striker. "They have a very balanced team and played with a lot of determination. But people shouldn’t think that they came this far only because they had motivation. They are a very good side."
Indeed, Afghanistan football has come a long way from the Taliban days when stadiums were used more to hold executions that football matches. The country is still troubled by violence, but Kargar is gradually building a squad – including players from within the county and those settled abroad – that is making significant progress. This year, Afghanistan have won six and lost four of the 12 matches they have played, and Kargar is optimistic about the future.
"We have been improving consistently as a team for three or four years now. There are a lot of problems back home, but we are positive. This is just the start for us. I hope things go well in the future."
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