Ludhiana: Referee S. Shankar of Tamil Nadu created a record of sorts in the Federation Cup final on Saturday by allotting a 10-minute stoppage time in the second half.

Fighting with their backs to the wall, the East Bengal bench watched in dismay as Shankar, India’s only referee to supervise in the final round of the World Cup, directed the fourth official to display 10 on the board.

East Bengal survived, and for a change, didn’t make a fuss about it.

“It was necessary,” Shankar said later. “Seven times the stretcher was called inside, five times for Edmilson alone... According to the rules, a minute each has to be added each time the stretcher is called in. Six changes were made in the second half. It means three minutes, a total of 10 minutes.”

Shankar said he wanted to add more time. He confessed it could be a record in India as no other referee has ever added more than seven minutes in Indian football.

“I myself once added seven minutes in a National League match.”

East Bengal camp, however, didn’t care much about it, as they were busy celebrating after the match. Their small group of supporters rushed into the ground to celebrate with the players and officials immediately after the final whistle.

A visibly exhausted Subrata Bhattacharya dedicated the victory to East Bengal fans after the match.

“It is a gift for them,” said the East Bengal coach. “It is also a turning point of my career. I consider it my biggest title after the NFL title (with Mohun Bagan) in 2000.”

He was not ready to accept that East Bengal didn’t play too well on Saturday. “It does happen when you play continuous matches. Probably the final match wasn’t as good as it should have been. But we have won. I have no regrets.”

East Bengal striker Asim Biswas and Javed of Viva Kerala are being rewarded for their good performances in the Federation Cup with a berth among the 30 India probables.

Meanwhile, the much-awaited Professional League will kick off on November 23, according to All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Priyaranjan Das Munshi.