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Two defeats in their opening two matches - ATK have had the worst possible start to their Indian Super League (ISL) campaign and they have now been left wondering 'what could have been?' after a video shows NorthEast United FC goalkeeper TP Rehenesh punching ATK defender Gerson Vieira during their October 4 game at the Salt Lake Stadium.
Rehenesh was subsequently suspended for the game against Chennaiyin FC on Thursday and could receive a four-match ban for the offence, which was not noticed by the match referee initially.
In the fifth minute of the game, Rehenesh is seen landing a fist on Gerson for no reason at all. A corner taken by ATK's El Maimouni Noussair is headed out by NEUFC striker Bartholomew Ogbeche at the near post.
Gerson is seen attempting a header just in case and a couple of seconds later, Rehenesh strikes the ATK defender. Before the second corner, Gerson even protested and complained to the referee but the incident went unnoticed by the referee Tejas Nagvenkar.
It now turns out to be a crucial miss as ATK later had a man of their own sent off and lost the game 0-1. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) reviewed the match and sent notices to Rehenesh and NEUFC over the unacknowledged foul.
Based on his explanation, the AIFF disciplinary committee suspended him for one game but it could extend up to a four-game ban.
"All India Football Association’s Disciplinary Committee has put NorthEast United FC goalkeeper TP Rehenesh under interim suspension with immediate effect," the ISL said in a statement.
"Rehenesh will not be available for selection for his club NEUFC’s Hero ISL 2018-19 clash against Chennaiyin FC on 18 October 2018 in Chennai.
"Rehenesh has been put on interim suspension pending full inquiry by the AIFF Disciplinary Committee after it emerged through the match footage, that the goalkeeper had acted violently against ATK player Gerson Vieria during the last meeting between the two clubs at Salt Lake Stadium on 4th October 2018."
Considering this happened in the fifth minute of the game and is easily a foul that could have resulted in a red card for Rehenesh, things could have panned out differently for ATK.
Later in the game, the referee booked ATK defender Sena Ralte twice and gave him the marching orders, forcing the hosts to play with 10 men for an hour.
Steve Coppell's side managed to hold NorthEast United FC until the 89th minute. Rowllin Borges headed in from a corner and ATK succumbed to their second loss in the ISL.
The video of the incident was accessed by Sportskeeda ahead of ATK's third ISL game, against Delhi Dynamos.
Watch the video below:
It's not the first time that Rehenesh has lost cool and vented out. The Kerala goalkeeper made obscene gestures at East Bengal fans protesting against the team's poor display outside the East Bengal tent in April last year.
In his ISL career, Rehenesh has received a straight red once for a foul against Kerala Blasters' Mark Sifneos last year. Had the referee taken notice of this during the game, ATK could have salvaged at least a point from the match.
