KUALA LUMPUR: Despite receiving criticism from fans, the FA of Malaysia (FAM) has defended referee S. Logeswaran for his decisions, some of which were deemed controversial, during last week's Malaysia Cup final clash between Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) and Terengganu.
In a statement today, FAM secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman said all of Logeswaran's decisions during the 90-minute final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil were spot on.
"After reviewing the video footage of the final, we have concluded that Logeswaran's calls were accurate," said Noor Azman.
Logeswaran faced criticism, particularly for awarding a "soft" penalty to JDT, which Bergson da Silva converted in the sixth minute.
Terengganu fans were also displeased with Logeswaran's delayed decision to award a penalty to the Turtles in the 21st minute.
"The referee was in the right position when he awarded a penalty to JDT after Terengganu's Azam Azmi Murad had fouled Fernando Forestieri.
As for the Terengganu penalty, the assistant referee adjudged JDT player Jordi Amat's tackle on Ivan Mamut as a foul," said Noor Azman.
Azman said a FIFA-level referee was not selected for the final due to various reasons.
"Referees Razlan Joffri Ali and Kamil Zakaria are from Terengganu, while Tuan Yassin Tuan Hanafiah and Usaid Jamal are registered with Johor.
"They were not selected based on the 'neutral-status' factor.
"Meanwhile, Suhaizi Shukri (Kedah) is currently involved in the AFC Cup, while Nazmi Nasaruddin (Penang) is on refereeing duties in Saudi Arabia.
"As a result, Logeswaran (Selangor) was appointed the referee for the final after considering his performance in the current season."
For the record, Logeswaran is a category A National Referee.
Meanwhile, Azman also denied claims that Fifa referees committee chairman Pierluigi Collina had questioned the refereeing quality during the Malaysia Cup final.
"FAM did not receive any information on Collina's comments. Whatever went viral on social media is false," added Noor Azman.
