KUALA LUMPUR – Despite a comfortable 3-0 win over PDRM FC last night, Kuala Lumpur City FC (KL City) head coach Bojan Hodak was left frustrated with the poor refereeing during the match that saw both teams end the match with 10 men respectively at the Kuala Lumpur Stadium in Cheras.
KL City defender Giancarlo Gallifuoco and PDRM’s James Okwuosa were both shown the red card in extra time after both defenders got into a scuffle
At the same time, Hodak was shown a yellow card in the 32nd minute after he was seen arguing with the referee over Herlison Caion De Souza Ferreira’s yellow card for colliding with a PDRM player during a loose aerial ball.
The Croatian said after the match that KL City will send a letter to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) regarding the questionable refereeing.
“We will send a report for sure. It is frustrating and I have lost count of how many letters we have sent to FAM already for other incidents before this.
“I already saw the replay. It does not feel good to be complaining after a 3-0 win, but this is what I have to do.
“This was supposed to be a quiet game. The guys are confident after winning their fifth match in a row, so confident that you already feel like you are leading 1-0 even before stepping on the pitch,” said Hodak.
Following a sluggish start to the season that saw them go winless in the first five games of the Super League season, KL City have now won their fourth consecutive match in the league.
During the match, KL City’s Romel Morales broke the deadlock in the 14th minute, while captain Paulo Josue doubled the score seven minutes later.
KL City substitute Tchetche Kipre sealed the deal when he scored the third goal for his team.
Meanwhile, PDRM head coach Azzmi Aziz admitted that they were outmatched by their opponents.
“They were clearly the better team today because they took the opportunities they had while we did not play well.
“There were many individual mistakes, ball watching, and errors in our passing that left us trailing behind,” he said.
Commenting on the double red card in the closing minutes of the match, Azzmi said incidents such as those are common in football but advised that the players should learn to better control themselves on the pitch.
The result today marks PDRM’s fifth straight loss in all competitions as they have lost four of their last Super League fixtures, while also suffering a 3-0 defeat to Johor Darul Ta’zim FC in the FA Cup recently. – The Vibes, April 28, 2023
