Daylight flight from India to Qatar shocks Abhishek Bachchan – Republic World

On Tuesday, India suffered a tough defeat against Qatar at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Ar-Rayyan. It was the final match of the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and India only needed a win. Thanks to Chhangte’s neat finish in the 37th minute of the first half, India took the lead. The Blue Tigers were about 20 minutes away from springing an upset against the 34th ranked team in the world, but in the 73rd minute of the match, disaster struck the Blue Tigers in the most sordid way possible. Yousef Aymen’s goal which erased India’s lead should not have stood as the ball had already gone out of play before that. The referee, however, ruled in favor of Qatar, leaving the Indian players perplexed by the outrageous call. The goal put India on the wrong foot, and Qatar, on the other hand, used the momentum to score a winner in the 85th minute to seal the match.

Read also | How the global media reacted to India being robbed of their place in Qatar for the FIFA World Cup

Abhishek Bachchan reacts to umpire’s controversial decision

The flow of reactions hasn’t stopped since the climax of the match. Alongside the fans, some notable figures from the world of sport and beyond expressed their anger at the referee’s call. Bollywood actor and co-owner of ISL franchise Chennaiyin FC, Abhishek Bachchan, also joined in calling the referee’s call “Absolutely ridiculous and unfair!” Bachchan highlighted the ignominy of the blunder committed by the umpire and how it cost India the match.

To eliminate such controversies, FIFA introduced VAR (Video Assistant Referee) a few years ago. The technology is widely used in Europe’s major leagues, but it was not available for the second round of FIFA World Cup qualifying. As India was hit hard by a disastrous decision, demands from fans for the inclusion of VAR in every competition grew.