Uzbeks call for FIFA clarification

Asian-Football September 5 Bobby Houghton, the Uzbekistan coach, has called for FIFA to investigate the Japanese referee's controversial decision to disallow a penalty in their World Cup 2006 AFC Play-off with Bahrain on Saturday night. With the central Asians leading 1-0 after Mirdjalal Kasimov's 11th minute opener, referee Toshimitsu Yoshida pointed the spot six minutes before the break when Maksim Shatskikh's goal-bound header was blocked by Mohamed Juma's hand. Server Djeparov duly dispatched the spot kick to put the Uzbeks two up but Yoshida immediately blew for an infringement and awarded Bahrain a free-kick much to the Uzbek players' fury. They, like most people watching in the stands and watching on television around Asia, were expecting the referee to ask Uzbekistan to retake the penalty. The official remain tight-lipped after the game, refusing to be drawn puiblicly on the reasons for his decision. He did, however, reveal to footballasia.com that he had spotted an encroachement by Anvar Soliev and that was his reason for disallowing the goal, not, as had been suggested, because Soliev had deliberaterly 'stuttered' when taking the penalty. "There was not any single person in the whole stadium who understood what happened," Alisher Nikimbaev, a high-ranking official at the Uzbekistan Football Federation, told reporters after the game, which ended 1-0. "Maybe it is a rule from the J-League or perhaps it is a new rule introduced by FIFA. But we have never heard about it, and if it is a new rule, why did FIFA not inform us?" Bobby Houghton, the English coach of Uzbekistan, revealed that the an official from the UFF's refereeing department had alerted the Uzbek players of some new FIFA directives, but had not mentioned anything about changes to the laws regarding penalties. "We got the president of our refereeing association, Sardor Najafaliyev, to speak to the players about all the new rules before the game," explained Houghton. "He told us about three or four new rules, but did not mention that one. He mentioned three new rules: one, you cannot stand close to the guy taking the throwing; secondly, if you score a goal, you mustn't go and get the ball yourself, otherwise you get a yellow card. And the third was a slight difference in the offside interpretation. There was nothing about penalties," Houghton added. As chance would have it, next week sees the FIFA Congress in Morocco, and officials from the UFF intend to use the oppportunity to discuss the game with officials from the game's governing body. "We will definitely ask for an inquiry from the FIFA," explained Nikimbaev. "And if there is a new rule which we have not heard of or been informed off, we will want to know why and will also start applying it to our local league. But if it was referee's mistake, then we will strive for his proper punishment. "In any case, we must know the truth - was it a new rule?" concluded the official. FIFA have so far refused to comment on the matter but may do so once they have received the match commissioner's report. The second leg of the tie takes place in Bahrain on Wednesday night. The winner over two legs will advance to a play-off with the fourth-placed team from the CONCACAF qualifying competition. The winner of that two-leg match will qualify for the World Cup 2006.