Walkoff leaves Ivan, Blasters and ISL in a conundrum

Many who watched the outlandish scenes at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Friday, woke up the next day feeling that it might have all been a dream. Not a bad one, but certainly an odd one.

WhatsApp groups and social media quickly ended that fantasy with the dreary reminder that the Indian Super League knockout game had indeed ended with Kerala Blasters walking off, revolting - led by their charismatic coach Ivan Vukomanovic - against a cheeky goal scored by Bengaluru FC's Sunil Chhetri.

It was a cheeky goal. In the seventh minute of extra time, Bengaluru earned a freekick. The referee Crystal John marked the spot but did not measure the 10 yards for the wall.

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Chhetri tried a quick shot but Adrian Luna blocked his attempt. Then, the Uruguayan dropped his guard and the Indian skipper found the opening and, seeing goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill off his line, dinked the ball into the goal.

As per the rules, Law 13.3 of the International Football Association Board: "If, when a free kick is taken, an opponent is closer to the ball than the required distance, the kick is retaken unless the advantage can be applied; but if a player takes a free kick quickly and an opponent who is less than 9.15 m (10 yds) from the ball intercepts it, the referee allows play to continue. However, an opponent who deliberately prevents a free kick from being taken quickly must be cautioned for delaying the restart of play."

The attacking team requests the wall, and Chhetri - as he later confirmed - asked neither for the whistle nor the wall. And quick freekicks, despite the name, does not have a period within which it has to be taken.

“I told the referee I don’t want the whistle or the wall. I do this every game because it’s an opportunity. It's not the first time I've tried this," he said.

By the letter of the law, it was a goal. But one is left wondering if referee John could have communicated better or done something differently. The season has also seen the referees come under the microscope after a number of bad calls although this is now a yearly grievance. So much so, that the league used to bring foreign referees for the later stages at one point.

That said, Vukomanovic's decision to lead his team away in protest is even more bizarre as his team was actually playing better towards the end of the game and there were still over 20 minutes remaining to get an equaliser. By all accounts, Vukumanovic was calm but firm during the back-and-forth with the officials after the walkout.

This also put the club in a precarious position as they now face a significant sanction which could be anything from a hefty fine to a points deduction or beyond. The league will come hard on this issue for they have to set a precedent, well aware that other clubs will be watching closely.

It also puts Blasters, who are yet to make an official statement, in a situation where, internally, they have to decide on the action.

Vukomanovic has been a blessing to the league, a star in his own right, and a coach that the Blasters faithful have rallied behind. Any decision the club makes will surely bring backlash.