ISL: Carles Cuadrat criticises refereeing and AIFF

East Bengal head coach Carles Cuadrat criticised Indian referees and the handling of complaints by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) during the pre-match press conference ahead of East Bengal's Indian Super League (ISL) clash with Chennaiyin FC.

Cuadrat's frustration was evident as he talked about the lack of consequences for referees' incorrect decisions compared to the swift actions against coaches for poor results. He pointed out the recent cases when coaches in the ISL had lost their jobs due to bad outcomes while referees seemed to escape similar scrutiny.

"Four coaches in the current ISL lost their jobs because of bad results. While the Referees are not penalised for their wrong decisions," Cuadrat stated emphatically.

He drew attention to specific incidents, "Two days ago, Owen Coyle was in the stands, tomorrow Dimas Delgado will be in the stands. Ivan Vukomanovic received a ten-game ban, and Manolo Marquez was banned for four games." Cuadrat expressed his discontent with this situation, emphasising that this is not an appropriate way to manage the issues in Indian football.

Cuadrat proposed potential solutions to address these concerns. "My solution is to talk with managers and coaches," he suggested, advocating for the introduction of foreign referees as another measure to improve the quality and fairness of officiating in Indian football.