KUALA LUMPUR: Terengganu defender Ubaidullah Shamsul Faizili's red card in last night's Super League match against Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium has ignited much debate.
The national Under-23 footballer was penalised in the 27th minute for allegedly pushing JDT forward Bergson Da Silva, leading to a penalty for the Southern Tigers.
Referee Fitri Maskon issued a red card to Ubaidullah following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review, a decision that has since been hotly contested.
Former FAM referees committee chairman, Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh, believes Ubaidullah should not have been sent off.
"Based on the match footage, it appeared to be a normal football challenge.
"There was no clear evidence of a push that justified such a severe penalty," he said.
Subkhiddin argued that the VAR officicals should have conducted a more thorough review of the incident.
"Technically, from what I see, it was a typical football touch and not a penalty. Even if it were deemed a foul, the appropriate consequence would be a penalty and a yellow card at most, not a red card. The player was clearly challenging for the ball," said Subkhiddin.
The contentious decision significantly impacted the game. JDT capitalised on the penalty, with Bergson Da Silva converting the spot-kick and going on to secure a hat-trick. Heberty Fernandes opened the scoring in the sixth minute, with Bergson adding further goals in the 64th minute and stoppage time (90+2), leading to a 4-0 victory for JDT.