The controversial refereeing decision that led to India’s loss to Qatar in the FIFA World Cup Qualifier on Tuesday at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha has sparked outrage among fans and players, following a disputed goal by Qatar’s that halted India’s progress in the qualifiers.
India, ranked 121st in the world, took a surprising lead through Lallianzuala Chhangte’s 37th-minute strike, marking the first time Qatar had trailed in the current World Cup qualifying campaign. However, the match took a controversial turn when Qatar’s Yousef Aymen scored a goal that the Indian team contested, claiming the ball had gone out of play at the baseline before the goal was scored.
The contentious goal was a game-changer. After Indian goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu saved a header, the ball appeared to have gone out of play. Yet, without the aid of Video Assistant Referee (VAR), the referee did not blow the whistle. As the Indian players momentarily paused, thinking the ball was out of play, it was brought back in by Al Hassan and put into the net by Aymen.
The Indian players vehemently protested the decision, approaching the linesman in desperation, but their appeals were unsuccessful. Fans worldwide are upset over the perceived bias in the India vs. Qatar World Cup qualifier match, sharing videos and photos from the match on social media platforms.
“THAT BALL WAS CLEARLY OUT OF PLAY LINE… SUCH CORRUPTION IN QATAR VS INDIA WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION FOOTBALL MATCH,” tweeted ace footballer Kylian Mbappe’s official fan page sharing photos on his official X account.
The official X handle of the Indian Football World Cup team also shared a post, writing, “BLATANT CHEATING!! UNBELIEVABLE.”
The goal from Qatar, which shouldn’t have counted, disrupted India’s solid defensive play in the second half, negating Chhangte’s earlier goal. Qatar scored again twelve minutes later, securing a 2-1 victory and knocking India out of the World Cup qualifiers in the second round.
Numerous videos, photos, and screenshots are circulating on social media, shared by football fans worldwide. They express frustration over the perceived bias and unfairness in the match, despite clear evidence of the refereeing mistake.
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