"Will not say the referees are typically against Blasters" - Kerala gaffer Ivan Vukomanovic ahead of his return from suspension

After serving his 10-match banishment following the walkout against Bengaluru FC in the ISL knockout clash last season, Kerala Blasters FC's head coach Ivan Vukomanovic returned to face the pre-match press conference for the first time this season.

In protest of what the Blasters' gaffer and his players deemed as a dubious decision, they decided to walk out midway through the extra time of the playoff match.

Unsurprisingly, right off the bat, Vukomanovic was quizzed on Thursday about how he reflects on the infamous incident seven months down the line. The Serbian tactician responded:

"To be honest, it's been a long time and it's over. I am a guy who likes to think about the next steps and what happened in the past is case closed. Many things have happened since then, we changed certain things in our club and I'm happy to see the boys improving. I don't like to bother about the past."

Since the fated night in March, Blasters fans have been vocally critical of the refereeing level in the ISL. Some have also alleged the possibility of the decisions being impregnated with bias against particular teams.

Asked about the same, Ivan Vukomanovic didn't entertain any such conspiracy theories. He further went on to underline how all teams are being affected due to human errors in refereeing.

"I will not say the referees are typically against Blasters," he said. "So far we know we have to deal with human parts. If we see certain situations, not just in our games, we see teams are at the wrong end of some decisions and are losing points.

"But as a human, we know we have to deal with these errors because so far we aren't supported by the new technologies that can help the game improve."

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"These moments can kill the spirit of the game" - Ivan Vukomanovic on human errors in refereeing decisions

The KBFC gaffer continued to stress the fact that without the usage of modern-day technologies (Video Assistant Referee) and goal-line technology, human errors in refereeing decisions will continue to hamper the mojo of the players, coaches, and even fans.

Even in the Yellow Army's previous outing in ISL 2023-24 against NorthEast United FC, a possible penalty shout was denied and ultimately led to the Blasters settling for a 1-1 stalemate.

Underlining that he had nothing against the referees, Ivan Vukomanovic asserted the need to equip these individuals with the aforementioned technology for the development of Indian football.

"Since I arrived two years ago, there has been improvement but now we arrived at a juncture where we can see no more improvement. I think the support of certain technology can be very useful and it should be the next step. I have personally nothing against the referees and I'm certain they always try to do their best," the KBFC boss said.

"If we don't get this kind of support or improvement in the upcoming period then these moments can kill the spirit of the game and people will start losing interest," he added. "So I think the technology is needed as it will help further development. We must all work on this step but it has to start with the federation."

Kerala Blasters will next face Odisha FC on Friday, October 27, at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kochi. For Vukomanovic, it will be a momentous occasion as he will return to the dugout for the first time since the playoff clash last season.