Referees seek strict action against MCFC

MUMBAI: A day after a non-cognizable offence (NC) was registered against a few players and support staff of Mumbai City FC's (MCFC) U-18 team for assaulting an assistant referee after their MDFA Elite Division match on Wednesday, the Mumbai Referees Association has decided not to officiate any matches involving MCFC until strict action is taken against them by MDFA.
During the meeting that lasted close to two hours on Thursday, it was decided that the referees will officiate in other games but will wear a black arm band until the MDFA's disciplinary committee meets and takes strict action against the offenders.
"We had a long meeting on Thursday and we convinced our member referees to stay calm. But we have officially informed the MDFA that we will not officiate any of Mumbai City Football Club's matches until the MDFA takes action over the incident," Walter Pereira, chairman of the Referees Association of Mumbai and vice-president of the MDFA Referees Board, told TOI.
"We will continue to officiate other matches but until a decision has been taken by the MDFA we will wear black arm bands while officiating those matches. Our demand is very clear and straightforward: We want the strictest of actions taken against the offenders," Pereria added.
MCFC had lost their match, played at the Neville D'Souza ground in Bandra, by a solitary goal to Karnataka Sporting Association (KSA) and were miffed with some decisions. After the final whistle, the team physio allegedly confronted the assistant referee Umesh Patel, demanding explanations for some of the decisions.
The argument turned ugly and some of the players and support staff members assaulted Patel. Speaking to TOI about the incident of Wednesday, Patel said that he asked the physio to stop shouting since he wasn't concerned with the decisions on the pitch.
"The physio was starting to get abusive so I went to the referee. Some of the Mumbai City coaches and players were arguing with the referee about some decisions. As the argument started to heat up, somebody from the Mumbai support staff spat on me. In self-defence, I threw my flag at the person. That's when the coaches, support staff, players and even spectators started hitting me," Patel had said on Wednesday.
After the situation was brought under control, Patel complained to the police, who came to the ground and took statements of those present. Patel then went to the Bandra police station to file an NC.
"I filed an NC just to be sure that they don't assault me in future," he said. MDFA officials said that they would review the incident and then decide on the way forward. MDFA's disciplinary committee is scheduled to meet on Sunday, December 15.