Indonesia U-23 national team coach, Luis Milla, said referee Shaun Robert Evans had no heart. He also stressed that football is sometimes very cruel after Indonesia was eliminated at the 2018 Asian Games football branch.
Indonesia's move at the 2018 Asian Games was halted in the round of 16. Milla's squad lost 3-4 on penalties from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at Wibawa Mukti Stadium on Friday (08/24/2018).
Indonesia was twice lost through two penalty goals scored by Zayed Alameri. Indonesia also managed to equalize the score twice through goals from Alberto Goncalves and Stefano Lilipaly.
Milla was very angry at the post-match press conference. With a high tone of voice, Milla assessed referee Shaun was not worthy of leading the match again.
"You can imagine how we feel. I was carried away by the emotion because seeing the hard work of the players was extraordinary. I don't think we deserve to be eliminated," said Milla.
"But, what happened, yes, it happened. Football is sometimes cruel. I hope supporters are proud of the players. Thank you also for the fans who have come as the 12th player," he continued.
"For me the referee today has no level to lead the match or he has a level, but has no heart. He doesn't see the player's struggle, don't see the struggles of the young players. I don't think he deserves to lead the Asian Games," added he.
Throughout the 2018 Asian Games, Indonesia was given a penalty three times. First obtained when losing 1-2 from Palestine in the group phase.
"We are the host, but how come this is. The time against the Palestinians is also given a penalty. I don't think it's a penalty. In total there are three penalties," added Milla.