“Left a few questions unanswered:” Kalyan Chaubey questions FIFA after controversial goal in Qatar vs India match

In the Qatar vs India FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers India  suffered a heartbreaking 1-2 defeat at the hands of Qatar in Qatar on Tuesday. Though, India were leading in the first half afterLalianzuala Chhangte's goal in the 37th minute of the game, India digested two goals in the second half; one of them which should have been cancelled.

In the 73rd India, Indian captain and goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu could not grab the ball clearly and the ball went out. However, the referee did not whistle after the ball being out and Qatar players played the ball inside and Aymen equalised for the home team.

In the replays it was clear that the ball was out of play and should have whistled for a corner. Despite protests from the Indian team, the referee signaled for the goal and soon Qatar scored another goal to kick India out of the tournament.

After the incident whole of India shared there frustration on internet and stated that India were "robbed" a chance in the historical third round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. 

Here is what AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey said after the incident.

"The defeat against Qatar in the FIFA 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 concluding match on Tuesday night was a huge disappointment for the entire Indian football fraternity. While victory and defeat are a part and parcel of the game, and we have learned to accept it gracefully, one of the two goals scored against India yesterday night left a few questions unanswered.

We, at the All India Football Federation, always believed that the spirit of the game should be upheld, and the regulations be followed without raising doubts over it. While maintaining the same stand, we, after the game against Qatar, in consultation with our Chief Refereeing Officer, decided to write to the FIFA Head of Qualifiers, the AFC Head of Referees, the AFC Head of Competitions, and the Match Commissioner for the game, requesting them to look into the grave supervision error caused during the game that practically cost us a place in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Round 3.

Given it’s severity, we have respectfully requested all concerned officials to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter. Furthermore, we have urged them to explore the possibilities of sporting compensation to address the injustice. Ensuring the integrity of the game is paramount, we truly trust that the FIFA and the AFC will take necessary steps in this regard."