Saif Sporting Club managing director, Nasirudin Chowdhury, is demanding that only foreign referees should be appointed by the country's football federation to officiate tough games in the impending season after Emery Bayisenge’s penalty goal in semi-finals of the League Cup last Wednesday against Abahani was controversially disallowed.

In an official Press Conference on the night of Sunday, January 10, 2022, the Saif SC boss remarked that the Bayisenge goal from the penalty spot was clean and he did not know why the referee, Saymon Hasan, disallowed it as his side went on to lose the game in shootouts after the regular time ended 3-3.

"The referee said Bayisenge illegally feigned to kick the ball after he had completed his run-up as he waited a second and kicked to score. He deems it as infringement of Law 14 and an act of unsporting behavior for which the player must be cautioned. We believe the goal was clean and it should have stood," Chowdhury said.

"The appointment of foreign referees in the league matches is not only for our demand. I think it's a demand from 30 clubs. We don't want expensive referees, rather, we think the football federation can hire referees from India, Nepal and Maldives," he added

Bayisenge joined Saif from AS Kigali on October 16, 2021, and he is currently one of the big stars in the Bangladeshi Premier League.

It is his second stint with the club after previously playing for them during the 2018/2019 season.