Don Bosco protest disallowed goal, DSO to review decision

Representational pic/iStock

Don Bosco High School (Borivli) were up in arms after their defeat to St Francis D'Assisi High School (Borivli) at the latter's school ground, in the Subroto Cup boys U-15 inter-school football tournament on Monday, alleging that a legitimate goal had been disallowed.

The incident occurred in the second half, when Don Bosco appeared to have scored off a finishing touch from a free-kick, before the linesman flagged it as off-side. The score remained goalless after which the Bosco boys ended up losing 2-4 via tie-breaker.

Following the loss, Don Bosco's school principal Fr Ranson D'Souza lodged a formal written complaint with the District Sports Office (DSO), questioning the refereeing decision.

"Our boys put in a lot of effort and were in control of the match, before one bad decision changed the direction of the game. We also have a video recording of the goal, which shows that our player was not in an off-side position. We have submitted our complaint to the District Sports Office and hope such incidents are addressed in the future," Don Bosco coach Everest Cardin told mid-day.

DSO official Manisha Gargote acknowledged receipt of the complaint and assured that the matter will be reviewed. "The referees had a discussion among themselves before disallowing the goal. I was present when it happened. After Don Bosco lost the penalty shootout, their officials approached us and submitted a protest regarding that disallowed goal. We have accepted the complaint, and DSO head Sayali Jadhav will take appropriate action after reviewing the matter," Manisha told mid-day.