By a Staff Reporter
Kathmandu – In a recent match between Nepal APF Football Club and Machhindra FC at Dasarath Stadium, Assistant Manager Jibesh Pandey was reported to have manhandled Fourth Official Gyan Bahadur Moktan.
The incident occurred during injury time of the second half when Pandey became furious with a referee’s decision and raised his hands toward the fourth official. The match referee Prajjwal Chhetri sent him off with a red card immediately. Pandey then went into the tunnel and manhandled Moktan again after the final whistle.
Pandey, a former captain of the APF football team, admitted that he raised his hands in dissatisfaction with the referee’s decision. The incident was included in the referee’s report as per Referee Assessor Shriram Ranjitkar.
During the match, when Machindra was trailing 1-0, Awas Lamichhane of APF was injured on the field. Machindra’s Devendra Tamang became aggressive when the medical team, including the stretcher, took a lot of time on the field. APF officials, including Pandey, became angry when referee Chhetri did not book Devendra. Referee Chhetri showed a red card to Pandey after consulting with the fourth official. Later APF won the match 1-0.
Both teams’ coaches complained about the referee’s role in the game. APF coach Ratnakaji Maharjan stated that the referee did not show a card, even though Machindra’s players presented themselves aggressively.
In contrast, Machindra’s coach Kishor KC expressed displeasure that the medical team spent more time on the field to delay the match instead of sending the injured player for first aid as soon as possible.
