Kerala Blasters' plea rejected by AIFF Disciplinary Committee

The Committee mentioned that the protest is not maintainable in law.

The AIFF Disciplinary Committee, which met on Monday, March 6, 2023, under chairperson Mr. Vaibhav Gaggar, and has rejected the protest lodged by Kerala Blasters FC in connection with the Indian Super League match against Bengaluru FC played on Friday March 3, 2023 at the Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru.

In its Protest, Kerala Blasters FC, who disputed a goal scored by Bengaluru FC off a free-kick, and which was declared legitimate by the referee, the club management said, “The Referee allowed a player from the BFC to take a free-kick without blowing a whistle.”

The Kerala Blasters also sought reliefs on two counts, saying, the match should be replayed and strict action should be taken against the said Referee.

The Entire Issue:

• Kerala Blasters players stage walkout following controversial goal
• Kerala Blasters walk off, Bengaluru FC declared winners
• Sunil Chhetri reveals what discussion he had with referee before taking free-kick
• Sunil waited for Luna to get out of the way twice, Simon Grayson clarifies
• Decoding the referee’s decision in the Bengaluru FC-Kerala Blasters game
• Twitterati react to Kerala Blasters’ walkout decision
• Kerala Blasters demand replay, file protest against referee Crystal John

After considering the Protest and going through the Laws of the Game as well as the reports by the officials, the Committee said that it is of the view that the “Protest is not maintainable in law, as the conjoint comprehensive and holistic reading of the League Rules and the Code clearly provides that no protest can be entertained against a Referee’s decisions, since the said decisions are final and binding.”

It further stated, “The facts of the present case depict that the incident does not even fall within the exception carved out in Article 70.5 of the Code. Thus, the present Protest letter/report/petition is dismissed.”