During the second match of the SAFF Championship 2023 between India and Pakistan, the head coach Igor Stimac was given a red card by the referee at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru on June 21, Wednesday. Earlier in the first half of this heated contest, Sunil Chhetri scored the opening goal for India with a clinical finish in the 10th minute, before doubling the lead from the spot in the 15th minute.
The incident involving the Indian head coach happened when he took the ball from Abdullah Iqbal, who was awarded the throw-in. It led to other players from the Pakistan team getting into the face of the referee, while just a few seconds later, the Indian players also got involved in the chatter. Eventually, Igor Stimac was sent off by the referee for his utterly needless reaction.
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Due to the skirmish at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, few other players from both India and Pakistan were booked by the referee, including the likes of Sandesh Jhinghan and Rahis Nabi.
In the immediate aftermath, the Indian captain Sunil Chhetri and the Pakistan captain Hassan Bashir had a talk with the referee, presumably, to curb down the tension. They were also trying to restore calm among their own team players during the entire altercation. Also, Sunil Chhetri seemingly voiced his displeasure at the referee for taking the call to send off Igor Stimac.
Moreover, since the Indian head coach got removed from standing on the touchline, the assistant coach Mahesh Gawli, a former defender himself, took over the reins of the national side.
