ISL 7: EB coach Fowler unhappy after referee gets two penalties wrong
Dec 06, 2020
Vasco (Goa) [India], December 6 : SC East Bengal coach Robbie Fowler is not happy with the performance of the referee, saying that he is in favour of bringing VAR to Indian Super League (ISL) as the "referees might need a bit of help".
Fowler's comments came after his side suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of NorthEast United FC here on Saturday. During the match, East Bengal were denied two penalties.
Jacques Maghoma was brought down inside the box in the 20th minute but the referee did not point towards the spot. In another incident, SC East Bengal's appeal of a handball inside the box was ignored by the referee.
Expressing disappointment in the post-match press conference, Fowler said: "I thought (the penalties) were blatant. Certainly the first one in the first half was clear-cut. The second one, for me, was clear cut as well."
When asked about his opinion on the inclusion of VAR in the ISL, Folwer said: "I am going to say yes. Referees might need a bit of help, I know they are doing a tough job. When you get two blatant penalties wrong like that, it is tough to take for a manager. Not a huge fan of VAR, I think it slows the game at times."
On the other hand, with this victory, NorthEast United continued their unbeaten streak in this season of the ISL. Currently sitting on the second spot on the table, NorthEast United have so far registered two wins and two draws.
