'Pakistan players came & pushed him': Mahesh Gawli accuses referee in Igor Stimac scuffle

Why You Are Reading This: Sunil Chhetri’s hattrick handed India a 4-0 win over arch-rivals Pakistan in an action-filled match in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Playing in their opening match at the SAFF Championship, India saw their captain scoring a stunning hat trick while also watching coach Igor Stimac being shown a red card. Stimac got involved in a mid-game scuffle with the Pakistan players, which led to the referees booking him.

3 Things You Need To Know

• Igor Stimac was shown the red card toward the end of the second half
• Stimac defend his actions against Pakistan in a social media post
• The Indian head coach also shared a video of the incident

ALSO READ | 'I Am A Warrior, I Will Do It Again': Stimac's Fierce Statement After Red Card Vs Pakistan

Why was Igor Stimac shown a red card during India vs Pakistan?

Toward the end of the first half of the match, Stimac got involved in a heated exchange by trying to stop a throw-in from Pakistan’s Abdullah Iqbal. The 55-year-old coach tapped the bowl out of Iqbal hands, following which Rahis Nabi rushed towards India’s technical area and hurled a few words at the Indian coach. As the events unfolded in front of over 20,000 fans in Bengaluru, other Pakistan players and coaches also got involved in the scuffle.

Pakistan’s goalkeeping coach Marcelo Schroeder Costa was particularly miffed and headbutted Indian team manager Velu Dhayalamani. Costa was also seen pointing fingers at a few Indian team members. Meanwhile, India’s assistant coach Mahesh Gawli then took India’s charge after the red card and later revealed key details about the incident.

IND vs PAK sees RED in the first half 🤯

India vs Pakistan is never fully complete without the fireworks and heated emotions 💥#INDvPAKonFanCode #SAFFChampionship2023 pic.twitter.com/xJLZTmcrp5

— FanCode (@FanCode) June 21, 2023

"Pakistan players came and pushed him"

“It was a red card because he (Igor Stimac) can't do that. But it was too harsh because Pakistan players came and pushed him. Either referee didn't see or deliberately didn't give (red card to them). There wasn't any red card for any officials, despite one of them headbutting our manager,” the former center-back told reporters after the India vs Pakistan match.

ALSO READ | India Coach Igor Stimac Receives Red Card For Snatching Ball From Pakistan Player- WATCH

In the meantime, Stimac also took to his official Twitter handle to justify his action. "Football is all about passion, especially when you defend the colours of your country. You can hate or love me for my actions yesterday, but I am a warrior and I will do it again when needed to protect our boys on the pitch against unjustified decisions," Igor Stimac wrote while also sharing a video of the incident.

Football is all about passion, especially when you defend the colours of your country. 🇮🇳💙🇭🇷

You can hate or love me for my actions yesterday, but I am a warrior and I will do it again when needed to protect our boys on the pitch against unjustified decisions. pic.twitter.com/Jgps3hrmDP

— Igor Štimac (@stimac_igor) June 22, 2023

India will face Nepal in their next game at the SAFF Championship on Saturday, June 24 at 7:30 p.m. IST  at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore.