What is FIFA's action against Indonesia vs Bahrain and Referee Ahmed Al Kaf? Observer: Maybe there will be
HOLIDAY NEWS - It is predicted that FIFA's actions will not involve a repeat of the Indonesia vs Bahrain match. But there may be action against referee Ahmed Al Kaf. This opinion was conveyed by football observer Gita Suwondo. What are the basics and considerations? As is known, PSSI will submit a protest to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the International Football Federation (FIFA).
The protest letter was sent under the leadership of Ahmed Abu Bakar Al Kaf, the referee for the Indonesia vs. Bahrain match on Thursday (10/10/2024) evening at the Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa. One of the controversies was that the referee from Oman did not stop the match even though injury time had finished.
"Yes, we sent a letter of protest," said PSSI Exco Arya Sinulingga, quoted by Kompas.com
Observer Says FIFA's Action
Football observer Gita Suwondo emphasized that the letter of protest submitted by PSSI to FIFA or AFC will not change the result of the Bahrain vs Indonesia match. "It won't change the outcome of any match. The goal is valid and not offside," he said, when contacted by Kompas.com, Friday (11/10/2024). Bahrain's second goal also could not be disallowed even though it was achieved in the 90+9th minute, exceeding the 6 minutes of injury time given by the referee.
Moreover, in last night's match, the referee did not blow the final whistle to signal the end of the match. According to Gita, the referee as the leader of the match has the right to increase injury time according to his judgment.
"Even if there is deemed to be an irregularity, there will be possible action from the AFC against the referee. But not regarding the result of the match," he said.
Gita explained that the situation in the match between Indonesia and Bahrain was different from the South Africa (South Africa) vs Senegal match in the 2018 World Cup Qualification. As reported by Antara, Thursday (7/9/2017), FIFA ordered the South Africa match against Senegal to be replayed following the referee being punished for match fixing.
The match in November 2016 was won by South Africa with a score of 2-1 after Ghanaian referee Joseph Lamptey awarded a penalty for handball by a Senegalese player.
As a result of FIFA's investigation, the ball never hit the arm, but only hit the player's knee before falling to the ground. However, according to Gita, the match between the two African countries is a match to determine whether or not they will qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Meanwhile, the match between Bahrain and Indonesia on the evening of October 10 2024 is not a qualifying match. "Now the question is, do we want to repeat the match? We can lose, win or draw, what's the result," said Gita.
Looking at last night's match, Gita said that the Indonesian National Team, which in terms of quality should have been better, actually lost in the midfield, especially in the first half.
The Garuda national team only had two chances which turned into two shots on target and two goals, while Bahrain had eight chances which turned into two goals. "Maarten Paes came back again with his four saves to get us points," explained Gita.
Gita said that in the future the Indonesian National Team must be able to take advantage of China's position, which has not yet received points. The match against China on October 15 could be an opportunity for Garuda to gain three points.
Meanwhile, football analyst Anton Sanjoyo stated that referee Ahmed Al Kaf's decision regarding the extra time for the Indonesian National Team vs. Bahrain was still in accordance with FIFA rules. According to him, referee Ahmed Al Kaf's decision was still within reasonable limits. "Indonesia may send a letter of protest but we must remember that this is still in accordance with the rules of the games from FIFA, so in my opinion, if Indonesia protests, it will probably also be rejected," said Anton as quoted by Kompas TV which aired on Friday (11/10/2024) .
Anton saw that the field referee's decision to allow the second half of extra time to exceed the duration determined by the field inspector was still within the rules. It is known that the duration of extra time in the second half of the match was three minutes longer than the specified six minutes. In this case, the main referee may add according to his feelings.
"So, if he says, he thinks his feeling is that there is a time delay, there are delays related to technical matters, he can add. What can't be subtracted. For example, if 6 minutes is recommended then 4 minutes is not allowed," he said.
According to Anton, the additional time of up to three minutes from the six minutes in last night's match is still at a reasonable stage. "It is indeed very painful for Indonesia, but that is in accordance with Article 7 paragraph 3 for wasted time. So, in my opinion, Indonesian supporters can be irritated, angry, annoyed, but that is according to the rules," he concluded. Anton admitted that extra time 6, even lasting up to 9 minutes, was indeed controversial. The reason is, there are no striking incidents in the field that cause a lot of time to be wasted in normal times.
"This is indeed the referee's subjectivity which leads to injustice. This will perhaps become PSSI's focus regarding injustice. But it will be reversed according to the rules. Even when talking about VAR, the referee can reject VAR," said Anton. So what are the FIFA rules regarding extra time? The FIFA rules regarding extra time are listed in the Laws Of The Game for the 2024/2025 season which have been released by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).
To be precise, in the section The Duration of the Match (match duration) page 83 number 7 point 3 regarding the allowance for previously wasted time.
In this point it is explained that the referee has the right to give tolerance in each round for all time lost in that round due to:
Substitution/substitution of players
Assessment and/or transfer of injured players
Wasting time
Disciplinary sanctions
Medical stops permitted by competition rules, for example ‘drink’ breaks (which should not exceed one minute) and ‘cool down’ breaks (ninety seconds to three minutes)
Delays relating to VAR ‘inspections’ and ‘reviews’
Goal celebration
Since the second half of the match was marked by a number of incidents including VAR checks, substitutions and injuries, the referee was declared entitled to add injury time. "The fourth referee indicates the minimum extra time decided by the referee at the end of the last minute of each half," writes the FIFA rules section on match duration page 83 number 7 point 3. “Extra time can be added by the referee but cannot be reduced. "The referee must not compensate for timing errors in the first half by changing the duration of the second half," he added.
Referee Ahmad Al Kaf Controversy
So, what were the controversies created by referee Ahmed Al Kaf in the match Indonesia vs. Bahrain in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers in the Asia Zone?
1. Easy to give cards to Indonesia
Referee Ahmed Al Kaf is known to easily give foul cards in the matches he officiates. This was also seen in the match Indonesia vs Bahrain. However, he appeared to cause more offense for Indonesia than Bahrain.
In fact, physical contact between players tends to be minimal.
In this match, Indonesia recorded 27 violations. Two violations resulted in yellow cards for Marselino Ferdinan and Ragnar Oratmangoen. Garuda troops also made two offsides. In contrast, Bahrain had just ten violations. One violation resulted in a yellow card for Amine Benaddi. In fact, there were moments when Bahrain violated Indonesian players hard but it was not declared a violation.
Not only did the players receive cards, Al Kaf even gave a red card to the manager of the Indonesian National Team, Sumardji, when he protested that the match had not ended even though injury time had finished.
2. Do not give a free kick
Furthermore, Al Kaf was also highlighted for not giving the Indonesian national team a free kick in the second half. Even though at that time, Rafael Struick was violated by a Bahraini defender right in front of the penalty box. Referee Al Kaf only gave the Indonesian national team a drop ball. The referee reasoned that a free kick was not needed because the ball hit Rafael when it was fouled by an opposing player. Indonesia also missed the opportunity to score a goal.
3. Add time beyond injury time
When the match reached the 90th minute, the referee gave six minutes of additional time or injury time. That means the match should have ended in the 90+6 minute. However, the referee did not stop the match even though extra time had run out. As a result, Bahrain scored a goal in the 90+9 minute or three minutes later than when the match was supposed to end. During extra time, there are no special events that cause injury time to increase more than the specified time. This situation sparked protests. Because, the Red and White team almost won 2-1 over Bahrain before equalizing the position to 2-2.
4. No VAR check for Bahrain
Apart from the problematic timing, the equalizing goal in the 90+9 minute also caused controversy. Because the goal was declared valid even though the referee did not check VAR. Al Kaf should confirm whether Mohamed Marhoon's last goal was valid or not via VAR. A check was required as Bahrain's number 9 forward Husein Abdulkarim appeared to be offside before Mohamed Marhoon received the ball.
This match put Indonesia in fifth place in Group C standings with three points from three draws against Saudi Arabia (1-1), Australia (0-0), and Bahrain (1-1).
FIFA Sanctions for Bahrain Before Match vs Indonesia In fact, it turns out that FIFA has imposed sanctions on the Bahrain Football Federation (BFA), Wednesday (9/10/2024). The sanctions came down exactly one day before the match Bahrain vs Indonesia in the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers in the Asia Zone, Thursday (10/10/2024) evening.
Quoting kompas.com, the manager and operator of the national team nicknamed Dilmun's Warriors was punished because local football fans turned on lasers highlighting several Japanese players, on the second matchday of Group C which took place at the Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa, (10/9/2024).
Not only that, the home fans also blew whistles which really disrupted the match between Bahrain vs Japan. However, despite interference from the home fans, the Japanese national team managed to win a landslide victory over Bahrain with a score of 5-0. Quoted from Alwatan News, Wednesday (9/10/2024), FIFA decided to impose a fine on the Bahrain Football Federation of 5,000 Swiss Francs or around IDR 91 million.
Additionally, FIFA also decided to fine the Bahrain Football Federation the same amount for blowing the whistle during the singing of the Japanese national anthem before the start of the match. So, the total fine imposed by FIFA on BFA was 1,000 Swiss Francs or around IDR 182 million.
BFA could receive this punishment again if Bahrain fans carry out the same action against the Indonesian National Team in the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualification Asia Zone.
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