The Indian football team and their supporters erupted in anger following a contentious refereeing decision that denied them a crucial victory in their FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier against Qatar. The match, held on Tuesday at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, ended in a 2-1 defeat for India, dashing their hopes of advancing to Round 3 of the World Cup qualifiers.
India, who entered the match in second place in Group A of the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2, slipped to third place after the loss, thus failing to progress further in the World Cup qualifiers. They will now turn their focus to the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Third Round qualification.
The Blue Tigers took the lead in the first half, maintaining a 1-0 advantage at halftime. However, Qatar staged a comeback in the second half, with goals from Youssef Ayman Farahat in the 73rd minute and Ahmed Alrawi in the 85th minute. The controversy centred around Youssef’s goal, which came after a disputed call by referee Kim Woo-Sung. Replays indicated that the ball had crossed the byline for an Indian corner kick, but the referee awarded possession to Qatar, leading to Youssef’s equalising goal.
Indian players protested vehemently, arguing that the ball had gone out of play before the goal was scored. Despite their protests, referee Kim Woo-Sung, from South Korea, stood by his decision, which became the focal point of the post-match uproar.
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Kim Woo-Sung, a 36-year-old official, has officiated in K League 1 games, AFC Cup matches, and World Cup qualification games in Asia, with a total of 15 appearances. The controversy has raised questions about his experience in handling high-stakes World Cup qualifiers.
The officiating team for the India vs Qatar match comprised:
- Referee: Kim Woo-Sung (KOR)
- Assistant referee 1: Kang Dong Ho (KOR)
- Assistant referee 2: Cheon Jin Hee (KOR)
- Fourth Official: Abdyldaev Daiyrbek (KGZ)
- Match Commissioner: Hamed Momeni (IRN)
- Referee Assessor: Basel Al Hajjar (SYR)
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