Carles Cuadrat: Coaches set to hold meeting over refereeing standards in ISL

The Bengaluru FC boss had many things to say regarding many of his players' performances.

Carles Cuadrat cut a very animated figure in the post-match press conference after Bengaluru FC defeated FC Goa in a mouthwatering clash in the Indian Super League on Friday night.

The Spaniard spoke at length about the inconsistency shown by the referee on the night and openly expressed his discontent with the overall standards of officiating this season. The 51-year-old tactician also expressed his concern over the treatment of Ashique Kurnuniyan by the officials, after the forward was seen carrying an injury.

Moreover, Carles Cuadrat also provided inputs on the early substitution of Udanta Singh and the double substitution of Manuel Onwu, who has been underperforming for the Blues.

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Speaking on the importance of winning this game, Carles Cuadrat said, "There are still some games left to play in the league, so anything can happen. But, for sure, if we were losing this game we would have been very far away from the fight for the Champions League slot, so it was very important to win that game. It was important to give that type of happiness to the supporters and to get three points in the last moments."

Upon being asked about the double substitution that saw Manuel Onwu brought on from the bench and then taken off again, the Bengaluru FC boss explained, "We talked about that at half-time. I took him away from the group and I told him that 'I need you to control more of the possession' as he is more technical than most of the boys."

"I wanted to put Sunil (Chhetri) on the left side and I asked him because he has been two months without playing, 'maybe if you don’t feel well by the end of the game, I will have to substitute you again.' He told me that he’s here to help the team, so there is no problem. He’s doing his best and he worked very hard for the 30 minutes he was on the pitch," Carles Cuadrat added.

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The tactician also shared his opinions on FC Goa, who are still leading the points tally by a single point. "I think Goa is a very good team, they play very good football. That is football, as sometimes we had more possession of the ball and more chances and we are not getting the points. But, in the end, it’s a fight where each team is trying to take advantage of the weak points of the other teams. What you cannot do is not put your soul on the ground and that is why I took out Udanta Singh, as he has to learn," Carles Cuadrat quipped.

An update on Ashique Kuruniyan was also provided by the Blues' head coach as he revealed, "The problem is that he gets muscle collapse on both legs and I cannot understand how the match commissioner and the referee shout 'fair play, fair play, get up.' As football professionals, we know the game. If they have to give a minute, please give it or give it ten minutes. But, come on, we have a player who is screaming like crazy, we are not a team doing comedy."

"Also, the goal of FC Goa, come on, the ball is touching the referee and the new rules say that you have to stop the game and give the ball to the team which has the possession," he added.

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"We have a very big problem in India with that. Because in the first half, he’s stopping our counter-attack. But, in the second half, we conceded the goal because he’s not doing the same rule. He knows he has touched the ball and you stop the game if you touch the ball, the rules are very clear," Carles Cuadrat summed up.

Interestingly, Carles Cuadrat had more to comment on the state of refereeing. Speaking in that context, he said, "I should receive a red card! Put the standards in an international way. All the coaches will have a meeting to talk about how to improve some things and we need to do something because it makes us crazy. The rules are the same for everyone. Seriton Fernandes stopped the counter-attack four times and the referee noticed only once when they stopped our attack five times. But, Erik (Paartalu), it’s a yellow card for Erik. If you know the game, you see the other player stopping the attack, you show him the yellow card as well."

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Udanta Singh was substituted early in the second half, which came as a surprise to the home fans at the time. The tactician justified his decision by saying, "He’s a great player. He has to give a lot to the team. Normally, he is also playing with the national team. So, all the challenges he lost with another player and in attack, I ask him to go one-on-one, but he was not at a level that he can show to the team. We have to try and help him to understand that he has to make that level, or otherwise there will be more players ahead of him in the lineup."