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The recently concluded Indian Super League provided us with a lot of great moments to savour, and like, any tournament, it had its ups and downs. It is important to take the good with the bad and learn from them so that the future editions are free of such moments.The fact that the IndianSuper League helped bring football on to the national scale made sure that rarely did people notice the controversial moments. From refereeing howlers to bust-ups between players and coaches, we take a look at 5 controversies which rocked the inaugural edition of the Indian Super League.
#1 Alessandro Del Piero and Harm van Veldhoven - Trouble in paradise
Alessandro Del Piero and his inability to perform for Delhi Dynamos was perhaps as confusing as the case of Benjamin Button itself. Although Button is born old and ages in reverse, Del Piero definitely followed the traditional way of ageing, as he deteriorated with every passing minute. His struggles were highlighted by the demeanour and antics of Delhi’s coach Harm van Veldhoven.
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After having been brought to the ISL, the Italian legend was supposed to be the best player that the sub-continent had ever witnessed. However, his fairy tale did not pan out in the right way and his journey was highlighted by issues almost every time he went on to the pitch.
Issues ranging from his health fitness to his chemistry with the team were raised time and time again. His relationship with the coach was also questioned repeatedly. Although Van Veldhoven continued to say that Del Piero was in his plans, he failed to display that trust on the field. Del Piero himself, when asked about his absence from the first team, abruptly replied, “Ask the coach.”
Not so surprisingly, the Juventus legend had a season to forget with the Delhi Dynamos, and seldom displayed signs of his inspirational, former self.
#2 The infamous tunnel bust-up
Would any of the football leagues across the entire world be complete without an age old tunnel bust-up? The Indian Super League was no different and gave us a pretty ugly bust-up as it saw a proper tunnel scuffle between opposition teams. FC Goa were entertaining Atletico de Kolkata, and a heated first half saw both teams indulge in taunting and sledging one another,
Atletico de Kolkata’s Fikru, who had apparently headbutted Gregory Arnolin of Goa earlier in the match, along with coach Antonio Habas was caught in a fight with Robert Pires. The bust-up, which also had an alleged punch from Habas on Pires, and was governed with strict severity by the ISL governing council, and all three involved parties, were banned for their actions.
#3 The fall-out between Fikru and Antonio Habas
Atletico de Kolkata’s sensational striker Fikru was involved in yet another controversy, which also included coach Antonio Habas. In their crunch semi-final encounter against FC Goa, Habas did not even bat an eye-lid, when he informed the media that Fikru would not be part of his plans. The Ethiopian striker had to endure the match from the stands, along with the spectators as he had to sit out.
His fallout with Habas emerged after Fikru apparently pushed one of Atletico de Kolkata’s players on the field. Although Habas did not openly criticize Fikru’s actions, it could very well be the source of their divergence. In the finals of the Indian Super League, Habas stood by his decision and in his trademark flamboyant manner, once again excluded Fikru from his plans.
#4 The penalty howler in the semi-final between Atletico de Kolkata and FC Goa
Football can sometimes be a cruel game and who can better vouch for it than the coach of FC Goa, Zico. The Goans were dominating their tie against Atletico de Kolkata, in the second leg of their semi-final clash, when Andre Santos was abruptly brought down in Kolkata’s 18 yard box. Though it was a clear penalty, visible to even a naive onlooker, the referee waved played on.
The damage done was immense. FC Goa lost to Atletico de Kolkata on penalties, after the match finished as a goalless draw at the end of the 120 minutes. Ironically, the penalty, which wasn’t awarded, could perhaps have decided the game, before the dreaded shootout. The result was that FC Goa were eliminated at the semi-finals, and couldn’t continue their great displays in the tournament.
#5 Atletico de Kolkata and the goal that never was
Former Liverpool midfielder Luis Garcia was the victim of a technical howler when his goal against Kerala Blasters in the dying minutes of the match was disallowed. Although, the ball appeared to be comfortably in, the refereeing contingent turned a blind eye towards it and let play carry on. The magnitude of this disallowed goal was great, as Atletico de Kolkata were losing 2-1 and Garcia’s disallowed goal would have brought back the Sourav Ganguly co-owned franchise back on level terms.
Interestingly, Luis Garcia, has now been a part of this sort of a situation twice. The Spanish midfielder had allegedly put the ball into the goal, when he was playing for Liverpool and his goal against Chelsea was controversially given, leading to their progression to the finals.
