Malappuram FC have logded a complaint against refereeing in Super League Kerala following their narrow defeat to Kannur Warriors in Manjeri on Wednesday.
A contentious offside ruling had denied Malappuram the equaliser against Kannur. Barboza Junior thought he had made it 2-2 in the 65th minute only to see referee Suresh Devaraj concur with his assistant's offside flag.
However, Malappuram has claimed they were hard done by on two other instances as well. “The club has expressed its deep concerns regarding three key decisions that significantly impacted the outcome of the game. These include penalty appeals that were not awarded, along with an offside call that disallowed a crucial goal, along with a series of baffling calls ultimately leading to our 2-1 defeat. The level of refereeing last night was unacceptable,” Malappuram FC said in a statement on Thursday.
“We have addressed these issues directly with the SLK's Head of Competition along with the authorities concerned as we believe in fair play and the integrity of the sport. We believe our players, coaches, and supporters all deserve much better and are committed to ensuring that the standards of officiating are upheld, and we will continue to fight for the best interests of our club and supporters,” the club statement read.