In an unprecedented move, All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey on Sunday came down heavily on the referee department for the mounting errors this ISL and I-League season, saying there is an “urgent need for accountability”.

Chaubey chaired a virtual meeting on Sunday to discuss ways to improve the standard of refereeing.

Expressing concerns over issues related to refereeing, Chaubey urged individuals involved in referee regulations, match officials and assessors to uphold “natural justice”.

A total of 24 controversial Key Match Incidents (KMI) from seven ISL and four I-League games were presented for discussion. ISL teams Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal have been very vocal about what they thought was poor refereeing. Chaubey, a former goalkeeper, played for both the clubs.

After hearing explanations and analysis from the panel on the decisions of the referees, Chaubey said: “The season has seen increasing concerns over referee decisions with complaints and counter-claims.

“Clubs have submitted hard evidence in the form of videos to back their claims.

“Several games have been impacted due to unfortunate ‘plain-sight errors’, and admittedly below the acceptability of standards expected from us.”