Soon after the match, won 2-1 by HASC, the entire Vasco entourage, including the players and the management, came rushing towards referee Amjad Khan Mansoori of Madhya Pradesh. Some of the Vasco players, including Mangesh Borotekar, were so furious that they pushed Mansoori around.
Soon, the organisers came to the rescue of Mansoori and helped him to the referees’ room.
The crowd, witness to the untoward scenes, then started throwing chairs, water bottles and stones at the Vasco players and officials. One water bottle hit Koko Sakioo before the Vasco team took shelter in the dug-out. However, the crowd relented after half-an-hour and then the players were guided by organisers to their dressing room.
Vasco players were furious mainly because a penalty appeal had been turned down by Mansoori after the ball hit Joseph Femi Adeola’s hand inside the penalty area towards the end of the match.
Match commissioner Chitti Babu from Tamil Nadu said, “We have identified five Vasco players and their manager. We will file a report to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) because they are the ones to take disciplinary action.”
