As India Bids Goodbye To Its FIFA World Cup Dream, Fans Call Out 'Biased' Refereeing

India bid farewell to the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Tuesday, after losing the crucial qualifying match to Qatar, 2-1. However, several fans of the men in blue took to social media platforms to express disappointment by the refereeing standards. The allegation? The match officials allowed a 'failed goal' attempt by Qatar.

The goal by Qatar’s Yousef Aymen in the 73rd minute put the game in the dock. After new Indian captain and goalkeeper, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, saved a header from Aymen, the ball slid under him. In no time, Al-Hashmi backheeled the ball in and Aman’s shot sealed the goal. Cheers of Qatar fans echoed throughout the stadium and players started celebrating.

Indian team players appealed to the referees, who refused to review. Several took to social media platform X, (formerly Twitter) and condemned the decision, calling it unfair and biased. One fan pointed out there was no Video Assistant Referee in the match.

The above are just mere examples of the outrage on social media. It is noteworthy that there have been several contentious referee calls in the game before. No football fan could forget Diego Maradona’s infamous 'Hand of God' in the 1986 England versus Argentina quarter finals. Considered one of the most controversial goals in football history, Maradona's goal, scored with his hands, had earned Argentina a 1-0 lead, paving way for a 2-1 victory for the team. However, for Indian players and fans, it was the 'Eye of Satan' on Tuesday.

Lallianzuala Chhangte gave a great kickstart to India in the 37th minute. But India couldn’t recover from the tragic 73rd minute, as the hosts bagged the win.

This is the second slap for Indian football fans, after the retirement of Sunil Chhetri. By losing this match, India has been disqualified by coming third in Group A, with one win, three losses, and two draws. Qatar qualified with five wins and one draw.