'I have Nightmares...Someone has to be Sacked': East Bengal coach Carles Cuadrat's rant on abysmal refereeing in ISL

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East Bengal coach Carles Cuadrat ripped into the below-par refereeing in an epic rant on Sunday (February 25) before their upcoming ISL match against Chennaiyin FC.

The Red and Gold Brigade are set to take on Chennaiyin on Monday (February 26) in a crucial league match, but the East Bengal coach is livid with the officials' mistakes that have been hampering their season so far.

The Kolkata giants have been on the wrong end of a few decisions, and Carles Cuadrat believes that has hindered their progression this season. They have got only one ISL victory in the last five ISL matches, and out of them, three matches have had refereeing intervention, with all of them going against East Bengal.

And Cuadrat addressed the matter again in the pre-match press conference and poured his disappointment and frustration.

"I think ISL is working hard and football is improving. But at the same time, refereeing is a big issue and it's not improving. For me, this season is over. We have crossed the line. Decisions are affecting the results of the game and that has happened to us thrice in the last five games."

East Bengal coach cited three instances when the referee has given decisions against them, which also includes the Kolkata derby against Mohun Bagan.

"Poor decisions are changing the results of the game and unfortunately it is happening a lot in ISL. Authorities have to take the right decisions for the good of the game. When a player and coach are not having a good season, the player is loaned or the club decides to sack the coach. But there is one more thing, that is the referees, they are like us professionals and they are having a very poor season. And someone has to be sacked there like all the other professionals," Cuadrat said in an epic rant.

The East Bengal boss also claims he gets nightmares of Indian referee Rahul Kumar and that gives him sleepless nights. He also cited the inconsistent officiating across the league and expressed his grievance about splashing unnecessary Red Cards, which happened during a match between Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City FC, yielding seven Red Cards at the flag end of the encounter.

The Spaniard also took a dig at the AIFF's Chief Refereeing Officer Trevor Kettle. The apex body of Indian football appointed the former Premier League referee in 2022, but things haven't improved at all, and Cuadrat stated the appointment of Kettle is related to the poor show of the referees.

"If I make mistakes, I will be in Barcelona with no work. But referees are making mistakes every day. It's very clear that we have to change the system. And maybe it is a question of who is at the top of the system, which is Trevor Kettle. If you see a video of him, you will see a lot of things where it shows a lack of respect for the game. If this person is at the top of system, what can I say to the referees!!," the East Bengal coach concluded.

It is to be seen how his team fares against Owen Coyle's Chennaiyin on Monday. The Kolkata giants need three points to revitalize their playoff hopes and will be hoping to secure their first victory over the Marina Machans in history.