FAS withdraws 2 referees from future SPL matches
Singapore Premier League (SPL) referees Jansen Foo and Abirami Naidu have been withdrawn from future matches for failing to send off a player for serious foul play.
The incident occurred during the SPL match between BG Tampines Rovers and Lion City Sailors at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Sunday (22 Feb).
Serious foul play from Lion City Sailors
During the 37th minute of the match, BG Tampines Rovers’ Takeshi Yoshimoto received an elbow to the head during an aerial battle with Lion City Sailors’ Kyoga Nakamura.
Source: Mediacorp Entertainment
Referee Jansen Foo then issued Nakamura a yellow card for the offence.
Source: Mediacorp Entertainment
The call did not go unchallenged, but despite further evaluation conducted via the Virtual Assistant Referee (VAR) and Foo, the on-field decision remained unchanged.
Yoshimoto sustained a cut on his right cheek, causing him to be replaced by teammate Amirul Haikal.
Source: Mediacorp Entertainment
FAS conducts post-match review
According to a statement released by SPL on Tuesday (24 Feb), the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) said that a “comprehensive review” was done by the Refereeing Technical Panel (RTP).
“After careful examination, the Panel unanimously determined that the on-field decision was incorrect,” FAS said.
Source: SPL
FAS added that the action would fall under Serious Foul Play and justified a red card.
“Nakamura should have been sent off for the offence,” the football association said.
They recognise that the VAR should have been used to better evaluate the on-field decision under the “VAR protocol”.
Referees to undergo remedial training
Following the incident, Foo and Video Assistant Referee Abirami Naidu have been withdrawn from future SPL matches “with immediate effect”.
The match officials have been removed from match appointments for two and four matches, respectively.
FAS explained that the pair will be reinstated after completing remedial training and performance assessment requirements.
“The FAS remains committed to upholding the integrity of the game and ensuring that all decisions are guided by fairness, transparency, and the Laws of the Game,” it asserted.
Club statement from Tampines Rovers
In a separate statement, BG Tampines Rovers said that it recognised the “human error” made by the referee.
Source: BG Tampines Rovers
“The implementation of the VAR system is intended to provide an additional layer of review and support in such situations,” the football club added.
“We trust that a comprehensive review of the processes will be undertaken to help prevent similar incidents in the future”.
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Featured image adapted from Mediacorp Entertainment on Youtube.Â
