Monday 01 / July / 2024
Muscat: Oman’s national football association said that poor refereeing was one of the main reasons the country could be facing an exit from this year’s AFC Asian Cup.
Having been on the receiving end of poor standards of refereeing in their 1-0 defeat to Japan, the Oman Football Association (OFA) has now decided to lodge an official complaint with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the continent’s football governing body.
A statement released by the Oman Football Association said, “Oman Football Association President Salim bin Said Al Wahaibi expressed his resentment at the unfair refereeing of Oman’s match against Japan at the Asian Cup. This means that Japan have sealed their place in the last 16 in the 2019 edition of the tournament with a controversial 1-0 win over Oman in Abu Dhabi.”
The OFA added, “The Oman Football Association expressed its resentment over the Oman-Japan match. Al Wahaibi was personally in contact with the AFC and the organising committee. He expressed his deep dissatisfaction with the unfair referring against Oman during the match.”
Genki Haraguchi’s 28th-minute penalty gave Japan a victory against Oman on January 13, and consigned them to their second defeat in as many games.
The result means that Oman could be facing elimination even if they beat Turkmenistan on January 17. It also means that Japan are now through to the knockout stages of the AFC Asian Cup.
But Saeed Al Bulushi, the General Secretary of the Oman Football Association, said the penalty should not have been awarded in the first place.
“Everyone has seen now in the replays that the foul was made outside the box, but the referee was maybe standing in a place where he could not see it,” he explained.
“It’s not just that, but we were also not given a clear penalty, which should have been given to us. The rules state that we cannot complain about the decisions of the referees, but we have written to the general secretary of the AFC and will be awaiting their response.”
Oman are now third in Group F, above Turkmenistan on goal difference, but both teams are at zero points. This is not the first time Oman have suffered a near miss at this year’s Asian Cup.
Four days prior to the Japan defeat, Uzbekistan had beaten Oman 2-1, with substitute Eldor Shomurudov scoring the winning goal just five minutes before the end of the game. Odil Ahmedov had opened the scoring for the Uzbeks, only for Mohsin Al Ghassani to equalise in the 72nd minute.
Although Oman are warranted to file an official complaint, Chuck Martini, head coach of the Muscat Football Academy, said that all things considered, the decision of a referee on the pitch is final.
“Of course, I agree with the Oman Football Association when they say the refereeing was poor, because yes, the officiating was bad, but at the end of the day, the referee’s decision is final. He is the man who enforces the rule, and Oman are welcome to complain to the AFC,” said Martini, a former Morocco international goalkeeper.
“But the reality is that there will be no organisation in the world that can undo what the referee did,” added the former Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur player. “The maximum sentence they can provide is to not allow this referee to officiate any more games involving Oman. Oman are welcome to raise a complaint, but the unfortunate reality is that once that decision has been made, it has been made.”
Should Oman beat Turkmenistan, they could still qualify for the last 16 of the tournament. Four of the six third-placed teams from across the six groups will also qualify to the knockout stages, based on their performances.
Bahrain have qualified through this system at this year’s Asian Cup after placing third in Group A, and they will join hosts United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Jordan, China, South Korea, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Japan in the knockout stages.
