Controversial SAFF Women’s Championship Semi-Final: India vs Nepal in Kathmandu
The SAFF Women’s Championship semi-final between India and Nepal, held in Kathmandu, was marred by controversial refereeing decisions that led to crowd unrest and game disruptions. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) praised the Indian team’s professionalism under challenging conditions and emphasized player safety. They plan to address the incident with SAFF to prevent future occurrences.
During the match, tensions rose when a potential penalty for handball against an Indian player was not called, angering Nepalese fans. The situation escalated when Nepal’s Rekha Poudel received a second yellow card for a high-footed challenge, despite video replays suggesting a clean tackle. This decision led to crowd unrest, causing an 11-minute delay.
India’s Sangita Basfore scored in the 70th minute, but confusion ensued when Nepal’s goal was disallowed due to a premature restart. The match was delayed by nearly 70 minutes due to protests. Ultimately, India lost to Nepal 2-4 in penalty shoot-outs after a 1-1 draw. Nepal will face Bangladesh in the final.
Doubts Revealed
SAFF -: SAFF stands for South Asian Football Federation. It is an organization that manages football competitions in South Asia, including countries like India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
Kathmandu -: Kathmandu is the capital city of Nepal. It is where the semi-final match between India and Nepal took place.
AIFF -: AIFF stands for All India Football Federation. It is the governing body for football in India, responsible for managing the Indian national football teams and organizing football leagues in the country.
Penalty shoot-outs -: Penalty shoot-outs are a way to decide the winner of a football match when the game ends in a draw. Players take turns trying to score a goal from a set distance, and the team with the most goals wins.
Rekha Poudel -: Rekha Poudel is a football player from Nepal. She was controversially sent off, meaning she was asked to leave the game, during the semi-final match against India.