Poor referring? What led to one-hour stoppage in India vs Iran men's kabaddi gold medal match at Asian Games

Hangzhou, Oct 7: A high-voltage drama unfolded which almost saw the India v Iran gold medal Kabaddi match being suspended at the Asian Games 2023 after a controversial raid involving the Indian skipper Pawan Sehrawat was not awarded to India.

 

 

 

The controversy erupted with only 1.05 minutes remaining. The situation became so tense that the final was suspended for more than an hour, with referee and match officials seemingly at sea with consistent protests from both sides.

 

 

With only 1.05 minutes remaining, Pawan Sehrawat went into a do-or-die raid with the scores tied at 28-28. While raiding, Pawan went out of the bounds into the lobby without touching any defender of Iran.

 

As Pawan went into the lobby, four Iranian defenders came to dash him. Iran was awarded a point as Pawan went out but the Indian team started protesting the decision.

 

 

 

Notably, an Iranian player, during Pawan's raid had crossed the line and came inside the rectangular box.

 

Rule 28 of the International Kabaddi Federation says: If a defender or defenders who has/have touched the ground outside the boundary (as per rule 5), hold a raider, the raider will be declared NOT OUT. The defender or defenders who have gone out of bounds only will be declared out.

 

The defender here is Iran’s Amirhossein Bastami and the decision made at last was three points awarded to India and one to Iran.

 

 

With almost six referees reviewing the controversial raid, they found themselves in a perplexing situation with both sides protesting. Despite these repeated reviews, there was still no clarity regarding which rule should be applied. Umpires were seen going all over the place to decipher the situation, while the players remained on the mat.

 

India questioned why the referee changed the decision after India's review if the new rule was indeed being applied. After further deliberation, the officials returned with a decision that favored Iran once more. Indian coach, then, instructed his players to stop playing and sit on the mat in protest.

 

The situation took another ugly turn as Pawan and the entire Indian bench confronted the referees about the foul. More officials were summoned, and the secretary general of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India reviewed the replays, stating that one point should be awarded to each team. However, this decision was met with fervent protests from the Indian side again.

 

In a puzzling turn of events, the officials appeared to change their stance again, awarding three points to India. This decision prompted the Iranian team to cry foul and stage a protest by sitting on the mat. The drama continued until the officials ultimately ruled in India's favor, and the game resumed. After two raids and another minute of play, India secured their eighth gold medal in men's kabaddi at the Asian Games.