It seems you want to finish my team-Zico

The Brazilian launched a, scathing attack on the standard of referring in the ISL.

Brazilian great and FC Goa Head Coach Zico lambasted the refereeing standards in the Indian Super League so far and has threatened to pull out of the mega event if it continues to happen. “I am here to help Indian football development and not to earn money. If they want me here I can be here to help but if they don’t, I can pack my bags and leave. I have nothing to prove in India. I am here for the love of the game. But this kind of treatment can’t go on,” a furious Zico said after their 1-1 draw against Atletico de Kolkata. Both the teams were down to 10 players and Zico’s main complaint was against the red card shown to Sanjay Balmuchu when he was sent off after a second yellow. “At the time we were the best in the game, the referee expelled one from Kolkata and they tried to balance it by expelling one from us. I don’t know what is going on but in the three years I am here all the crucial goals are against us. We have been at the sharp end of the stick whenever a contentious decision is made on the field. It seems you want to finish my team” said a frustrated Zico. “Even last season in the final Stiven Mendoza scored a goal that I can only explain as a ‘hand of God’ goal, and since then the team has fallen apart. What happened later and the fines imposed left us in no situation to plan for this season,” said Zico pulling no punches. Letting his heart out for the first time in front of the media, Zico also fired shots at the ISL for bringing in “incompetent” foreign referees to officiate the games. “If this is the standard of referees the ISL brings from the foreign countries, then they should really reconsider as the Indian referees seem to be doing a much better job than them. They should look to bring in FIFA referees and not bring in foreigners who are jetlagged. If this referee is part of the FIFA panel, I am afraid to say that FIFA is not doing a good job.” While FC Goa did earn their first point of the season, the game was marred by a flurry of cards, with two of them being red. The whistle-happy Mexican referee Fernando Guerrero Ramirez came under the spotlight for the second time in a week as the man in charge of the game produced 8 yellows and 2 reds. However, the Brazilian was happy with the performance of his players and felt that his players “gave it all” and “played against all odds” to earn their first point. After, losing their first three games of the season, a point would be a welcome sight especially coming against undefeated Kolkata as well as in the absence of their skipper Lucio, who missed the game owing to a leg injury. Photo © ISL Media