Kochi: In the ongoing eighth edition of the Indian Super League (ISL), Kerala Blasters were robbed of victory in at least three matches by blundering officials, team's sporting director Karolis Skinkys has said.
"Referees are also human, they can make mistakes. It's normal. However, you can have one match-deciding mistake, not four or five in three matches,” he said.
"Officials do make mistakes, be it in top-division leagues in Europe or elsewhere. When a match gets over, there will be people who are unhappy about certain calls made by the referee. But there is this concept of improvement. It is unjustifiable to make bad calls repeatedly in different matches, but under similar circumstances, going by players' reactions or due to pressure from the bench."
A football executive who worked closely with different leagues in Europe, Skinkys has got some advice for Indian referees. "You have to trust your gut feeling. Blow your whistle when it is necessary. You should not be guided by how players react on the field and officials, on the bench. Players do dive and argue with you, but you should not fall for that," added the Lithuanian.
