Kerala Blasters players walked off the pitch in protest after Bengaluru FC’s Sunil Chhetri took an early free kick during their Indian Super League (ISL) playoff match on Sunday.
The incident occurred in the first half of the match when Chhetri took a free kick from the edge of the box before the referee had blown his whistle. The Kerala Blasters players were not happy with the move and decided to walk off the pitch in protest.
The referee then had to intervene and asked the players to return to the pitch. After a few minutes of discussion, the players returned to the pitch and the match resumed.
The Kerala Blasters coach, Kibu Vicuna, said after the match that he was not happy with the incident and that it was not in the spirit of the game. He also said that he had asked his players to return to the pitch as he did not want to see the match abandoned.
The incident has sparked a debate on social media with many people questioning the decision of the Kerala Blasters players to walk off the pitch. Some have argued that it was a sign of disrespect to the referee and the game, while others have argued that it was a justified protest against an unfair move.
The incident has also raised questions about the rules of the game and whether or not the referee should have allowed the free kick to be taken before he had blown his whistle.
Whatever the outcome of the debate, it is clear that the incident has caused a lot of controversy and has highlighted the importance of fair play in the game.