The passionate excitement of the fans ended in bitter disappointment. In the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, host nation Bangladesh lost 2-1 to Singapore. The enthusiasm and high hopes with which supporters had flocked to the national stadium turned into a moment of sorrow. Adding salt to the wound was the frustration of not being awarded a clear penalty in the dying moments of the match.
In the third minute of added time, Bangladesh’s Faisal Ahmed Fahim made an impressive run down the left flank and entered the penalty box. To stop him, Singapore’s Irfan Najeeb made a sliding tackle from behind. However, despite the tackle, he failed to get the ball. Instead, it was clear that his leg brought down Fahim. Yet, Filipino referee Clifford Daypuyat did not blow the whistle for a penalty. Since the ball had gone out of play, he awarded Bangladesh a corner instead. Television replays clearly showed that the decision was wrong. As a result, Bangladesh missed a golden opportunity to equalize.
The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) was not pleased with such reckless officiating in a crucial AFC Asian Cup match. The board is preparing to file a written complaint with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). BFF has already lodged a verbal complaint with the match commissioner. This was confirmed by Bangladesh team manager Amer Khan.
He said, “We’ve informed the match commissioner of our complaint. He responded and said he would include the matter in his report. It’s not just the penalty—we’ve complained about a few other issues as well. There were concerns with the fourth official. During our substitutions, the referees caused problems. Everything has been communicated to the match commissioner.”
He added, “We are now preparing to file an official complaint with the AFC. There are several rules and procedures involved. There is a timeline and a payment requirement. Taking everything into account, the board will make a decision about submitting the complaint.”
