NSL: Official attempts to assault referee

KATHMANDU: The match between Pokhara Thunders and Lalitpur City Football Club in the third season of the Nepal Super League made headlines for an unusual reason.

During the game, a Pokhara official attempted to physically assault the referee after disagreeing with a decision.

In the 80th minute, Pokhara was trailing 3-1. A cross from Samir Tamang found Navayug Shrestha, whose shot was blocked by Lalitpur goalkeeper Jeff Baltus.

However, Baltus’ first save was unsuccessful, and the ball rebounded off the crossbar. Pokhara players claimed that the ball had already crossed the line when Baltus made his initial save.

Despite this, the referee, Navindra Mahatjan, and assistant referee Kishan Yadav decided not to award a goal.

This led to a heated dispute between Pokhara’s players and coach Suman Shrestha, who left the touchline to argue with assistant referee Yadav.

Amid the controversy, the main screen in the stadium was turned off to avoid further disruptions, a practice commonly used in global football.

After some time, the game resumed, but things escalated once again when the players saw a video replay on a second screen, reigniting the dispute.

Pokhara forward Samir Tamang, having seen the replay, began arguing with assistant referee Yadav once more, signaling toward his bench.

At that moment, official Sundar Thapa entered the field from the touchline and joined the conflict. Thapa, whose name was not on the official bench list, raised concerns with the security team about how he had managed to enter the field.

Despite attempting to physically confront the referee, Thapa could not be carded as he was not listed as an official on the team roster.

His actions were deemed inappropriate. Thapa, known as “Khukuri” in Nepali football and also a former player, had initially tried to make physical contact with the referee.

To stop him, ANFA’s competition director, Sanjiv Mishra, attempted to pull Thapa away, but during the struggle, both Mishra and Thapa fell onto the pitch.

Soon, police officers appeared on the touchline, and the situation became even more tense. Typically, private security is responsible for managing the atmosphere during the game, but with the police now involved, the situation became even more volatile.

A scuffle between the police and a Pokhara official only added to the chaos, and it took time before the situation calmed down.

After the match, Pokhara’s coach Suman Shrestha blamed the referee’s poor decision for his team’s loss. He declined to comment on his official’s actions, stating that the situation arose solely due to the referee’s decision.

“The referee’s decision led to our loss. Had the goal been awarded, we might not have won, but at least we could have salvaged a point. We have to answer to the people investing in our team. I don’t want to comment on what happened on the field, but this decision certainly made things difficult,” said Shrestha.

Lalitpur City’s coach, Simon Grayson, also stated that there was no alternative but to accept the referee’s decision. “The referee’s decision is final. If there had been video replay, it might have been easier to make a decision, but even in big foreign leagues, there are disputes with video replay. We have to accept the referee’s decision. The incident that occurred was not good for football,” Grayson commented.

Lalitpur’s captain, Ananta Tamang, acknowledged the dissatisfaction with the referee’s decision but emphasized that breaking discipline was not the right approach. “If there had been video replay, it would have been easier. It’s not easy for the referee to make decisions, and if the decision had gone against us, we would have appealed. But the way the official tried to make physical contact, that was definitely wrong,” Tamang said.

The Nepal Sports and Event Management, the organizers of the Nepal Super League, is reportedly coordinating with ANFA to take appropriate disciplinary action regarding the incident.