'This is stupid': Inter Kashi head coach Habas slams AIFF, calls ISL an 'adulterated' competition

Inter Kashi suffered a 3-2 defeat against NorthEast United.

At home in Guwahati, Juan Pedro Benali’s NorthEast United brought an end to their five-game winless run by edging past Habas’ Inter Kashi 3-2, with super-sub Parthib Gogoi netting a dramatic late winner. The victory gives the Highlanders some breathing space at the bottom of the table, as they move up to 11th place with 10 points, 7 clear of Mohammedan SC in 14th.

For much of the first half, the contest lacked rhythm, with both sides struggling to find quality in their first touch and passing. However, Jithin MS broke the deadlock for the hosts right on the stroke of half-time, sending his side into the break with a one-goal advantage. Early in the second half, Andy doubled the lead from the penalty spot after Wayne Vaz was sent off for bringing down Jairo inside the box.

Despite going 2-0 behind and being reduced to 10-men, Inter Kashi responded with real character. Habas’ men struck twice within ten minutes to restore parity, with Llamas curling in an excellent free-kick before Asif Khan converted from a set-piece opportunity. Just when Inter Kashi looked to earn a point from a remarkable comeback, Parthib Gogoi struck a superb first-time volley in the 90th minute to seal all three points for the home side.

The defeat means Inter Kashi have now suffered back-to-back losses after winning their previous two matches. Speaking after the game, Habas voiced his frustration, taking aim at both the organizers and the referees for how poor they have been in their respective works.

Habas blasts ISL organizers for poor scheduling:

This fixture was originally scheduled as a home game for Inter Kashi and was set to be played at the Kishore Bharati Stadium in Kolkata. However, the venue was shifted to Guwahati at the last minute. While Kolkata is not Inter Kashi’s home base, the late change still forced Habas’ side into a journey of around 12-13 hours, with the team only reaching the city at around midnight, just 18 hours before kick-off.

Habas was clearly unhappy with the situation his team had been placed in by the organizers. He described the competition as “adulterated” and criticized what he felt was an unfair advantage for certain teams, pointing out that some sides have been able to play more matches at home than away.

“Where is our home? I don’t know. To come here, 12 to 13 hours of travel yesterday, go to the hotel at 12 o’clock in the night and play today. How is this possible when it’s a match for playing in my home? This is adulterated competition. How do some teams play four matches away and nine matches home? How is this possible? In what league did that happen? In what league happened that?”

“I trained in South America, in South Africa, in Spain, in La Liga, and here, I never saw one similar thing like here. Never. How is this possible? It’s impossible. Do you understand, for example, that Real Madrid plays one match at the Bernabeu and then plays on another pitch? It’s stupid. After that, all the time talking about how we are serious, professionals. Why professional and serious? Why? It’s not possible. Because the action is absolutely abstract. It’s surreal that,”, insisted Habas.

Habas on the performance of his players:

Despite trailing at the break, going 2-0 down, and being reduced to 10 men early in the second half, Inter Kashi showed brilliant character to fight their way back into the game. Even with the numerical disadvantage, Habas’ side mounted an impressive comeback, pulling the scoreline level after being two goals behind.

However, Parthib Gogoi’s late strike secured all three points for the hosts, ending NorthEast United’s five-game winless run. Despite the defeat, Habas expressed satisfaction with the spirit and attitude his players displayed, while also insisting that Inter Kashi have now achieved their primary objective for the season by securing survival in the league.

“I am very happy with the performance of my players. The spirit, the attitude, everything they’ve got. Because Inter Kashi has to fight against many things every time. Travel, tactics, and many things are important against us. Inter Kashi is a new team, and all the people are against us. I want to say that I am happy with my players because the performance is good. The idea of this season was to keep the team in the ISL, and it’s practically done,”, added Habas

Habas blasts the referees for disrupting the pace of the game:

The Inter Kashi FC head coach was visibly frustrated with the officiating, accusing the officials of repeatedly breaking the rhythm of the game with frequent stoppages. He also felt NorthEast United’s third goal should not have stood, pointing out that the referee allowed the opposition player nearly a minute to dry the ball with a towel before taking the long throw that eventually led to the goal.

“The opponent gets the last goal in a set-piece in a long tactical duel. A new tactical towel. Do you know that in one country, it is possible to drain for one or two minutes for every throw-in? How often? For example, the Premier League, La Liga. I don’t know. Towel, shampoo. What happened? It’s impossible. But the referee, you talk with the referee and say no. After that, extra time. No extra time.”

“The problem is the pace of match. Stop, Stop, Stop, Stop and put the pace to the opponent. Understand, it’s not only this time. The referee says, no, no, maybe last time, extra time, 10 minutes, I don’t know. Pace needs time. And continue, continue, continue. No, stop, towel, boom, boom, boom. Stop.”, lamented Habas.

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