Japan's Keisuke Honda tore into the standard of officiating at the Asian Cup after the defending champions overpowered Palestine 4-0 in their opening match in Newcastle on Monday.
Qatari referee Abdulrahman Hussain dished out five cards to Palestine players for some over-exuberant challenges and also sent off Ahmed Mahajna but clearly did not go far enough, according to Honda."It was like playing basketball," Honda said.
"I don't want to complain but something has to be done about the level of refereeing here.
"There's no point saying anything during the game because it's a waste of energy but every time we touched them it was a foul, just like basketball."
Honda, who scored Japan's third goal from the penalty spot but was off target with two free kicks from dangerous positions, claimed the Blue Samurai should have been given more protection from the referee after some agricultural tackling from the Palestinians.
Ismail Alamour might have seen red after an incident involving Japan captain Makoto Hasebe, while Honda also felt his side should have had another penalty in the first half.
"There was hand ball from a corner in the first 15 minutes that was a clear penalty, but whatever," said Honda, who is not the first person to blast the referees at the Asian Cup.
Coaches Carlos Queiroz (Iran) and Paul Le Guen (Oman) both criticised the quality of refereeing at Asia's showcase tournament after their respective opening fixtures.
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Posted By Blogger to SOCCER 24H on 1/14/2015 10:29:00 am