Referee does the talking in foul-mouthed semis

Besides the downpour, it was abuses and not goals that were raining during the semifinal between Navy Children (Colaba) and St Stanislaus (Bandra) at the MSSA grounds on Friday with players claiming the refereeing was biased.

Despite Navy’s 2-1 win to book their place in the final it was the Bandra side that were more vocal post the full time whistle with the entire team surrounding referee Tappan Ghosh. Leading Stanislaus’ protests was 13-year-old Raul D’silva, who was seething, for being sent off after collecting two yellow cards.

“We don’t come all the way from Bandra to come here and lose in such a fashion. With every single decision going against us, the result of the match doesn’t come as a surprise. Navy started the match with 11 players, and ended it with 12,” said an inconsolable Raul post the game.

However, Ghosh had other things to say, “No player can tell the referee how to do his job. You play to the whistle and accept the decisions that come your way. I had warned Raul for his repeated protests but he just couldn’t stop. You need to be careful when you’re a card away from being sent off."

Stopwatch: Navy Children School 2 (A Badalia 2) bt St. Stanislaus ‘A’ 1 (R D’Silva)