Improving the Whistle: Promises and Challenges of ISL Refereeing Standards

Concerns over ISL refereeing have been ongoing, with officials like Trevor Kettle highlighting improvements in standards and monitoring systems. The AIFF aims to further enhance accuracy with potential VAR implementation and seeks greater accountability for referees, despite their current part-time status in India.

The Indian Super League (ISL) has long been plagued by poor refereeing, drawing criticism from numerous coaches. However, Trevor Kettle, the All India Football Federation's (AIFF) Chief Refereeing Officer, emphasized recent improvements in the country's referees.

Kettle asserted that referees have grown in several competencies such as taking stronger disciplinary actions and maintaining better fitness standards. He noted that without the implementation of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology, the accuracy of Key Match Incident (KMI) decisions averages around 82.5% but promises an improvement to roughly 97% with VAR introduction.

Kettle acknowledged ongoing errors but emphasized the AIFF's efforts towards a long-term investment in elite referee development. With some officials on full-time contracts and the establishment of referees' excellence centers in Gwalior and Thiruvananthapuram, the AIFF plans to enhance the future of refereeing in India.

(With inputs from agencies.)