Mourtada Fall suspended for NEUFC match, Mehtab Singh likely replacement

The Senegalese defender was given his marching orders in the 50th minute against Kerala Blasters.

Mumbai City's club captain Mourtada Fall saw red on a disappointing night for the Islanders. The towering Senegalese centre-back made a few rash decisions leading to him being booked twice in a 3-0 defeat to Kerala Blasters. His first came when he knocked Kerala Blasters forward Jorge Diaz, to the ground to try and stop a counter-attack. Diaz instigated another mindless challenge on himself shortly after half-time, when Fall brought him down inside the box. The referee surprisingly allowed play to resume initially, but then went over to the linesman for a second opinion. He returned to give Fall his marching orders and awarded Kerala Blasters a penalty.

The former FC Goa defender was in the news for a similar event last year when his former employers wrote to the AIFF Disciplinary Committee. Fall had planted a two-footed challenge that left FC Goa player Princeton Rebello, with a dislocated toe in the first leg of the semi-final playoffs. Goa intimated AIFF, as they felt that his actions compromised the "safety and well-being of players on the field."

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The current event makes it a total of two red cards for Mourtada Fall in his Indian Super League career. Fall has also received a total of 10 yellow cards, making him one of the ISL's highest recipients of the same. He has been handed out a one-match suspension tentatively, but the decision will be reviewed by the AIFF's Disciplinary Committee.

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Likely replacements for Mourtada Fall

Head coach Des Buckingham will have a daunting task at hand as he assesses his centre-back options. Fall's suspension means Mumbai City will be without a leader at the back. Rahul Bheke, who played as Fall's partner, will have to step up in his stead. Buckingham may look to partner him with either Valpuia or the experienced Mehtab Singh in place of the Senegalese.

Another possibility would be changing to a back three. Mumbai City already demonstrated stability with the back three in the second half of their game against Kerala. Although they conceded from the resultant spot-kick after Fall walked off, Mumbai did not concede from open play once they shifted to three at the back.

The 36-year-old will look to build on these positives, as he tries to tweak Mumbai City's defence to perform without their captain. The defending champions face NorthEast United on December 27 in their next match.

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