Chaminuka cries foul

Liberty Dube
BUFFALOES FC coach, Saul Chaminuka, has taken a swipe at match officials, saying biased refereeing has contributed immensely to their poor run as the army side sinks deeper into murky waters of relegation. The reigning Castle Lager Premier Soccer League coach of the year could not hide his anger and frustration as he blamed Kwekwe-based referee, Thabani Bamala and his two assistants, Victor Kambadza and Wirimai Muroiwa as the main villains after his side succumbed to an excruciating two-nil defeat to a firebrand and exciting Chicken Inn side at Sakubva Stadium on Wednesday.

An emotionally charged Chaminuka said Buffaloes FC was not a bad team, but was being let down by match officials who are indefatigably discouraging players by dubious match officiating – home and away – thereby dispiriting them.

Affectionately known as Watungwa Watungwa, Buffaloes have so far lost eight matches, drawn eight and won just thrice in 19 matches. They are sitting precariously on position 12 with 17 points.

“Whenever we criticise referees people will start saying that a coach should be sanctioned, but what do you think about what happened today?” said Chaminuka rhetorically.
“Because each moment that ball is given away to the opposition it is tantamount to us either losing the game. When possession is ours, it is ours, we are supposed to use it. The last man pulled down our player. He was brought down in the box, but what did the referees said, game on.

Look at the yellow cards we were given, it is really unfair. It was merely difficult for Buffaloes to play,” said the experienced gaffer whose side travels to the capital city to face Harare City in yet another tricky encounter.

“It was clear that their goalkeeper punched the ball for a corner kick, but what did the referee did? We were not given the corner kick.
We were supposed to enjoy our advantage because it was ours. Even the President of this country has no power over the pathetic refereeing in this country,” he added.
Asked if “bad officiating” was entirely to blame for his side poor show, Chaminuka said his team lost concentration and crumbled after conceding the first goal.
“We started well but the players crumbled in the second half.

That power to go all the way would have depended on how we started the game. But when you are denied penalties, free kicks, possession players give in and will end up playing for the sake of playing, that’s how games are lost. You end up conceding four or five goals because of that.

“We are not really a bad team, but this kind of refereeing is pathetic. Good refereeing and winning matches boost players’ confidence, but we are not going to have that because they are people who are standing on the way and for me it is the referees,” fumed Chaminuka.

With six minutes into the match, exciting Farai Banda’s menacing free kick was parried over the crossbar by acrobatic Chicken Inn goalkeeper, Elvis Chipezeze, but for reasons best known to the referee, the visitors were awarded a goal kick.

Eight minutes later, the Mutare soldiers were denied what appeared to be a genuine penalty when Banda was almost getting his feet onto a through pass, but Chicken Inn‘s Lawrence Mhlanga clumsily hacked down the goal bound Banda, right in the box.

The referee waved play on.
However, Chicken Inn had their moments and it is the trio of nimble footed, George Majika, Michelle Katsvairo and Edmore Chirambadare that remained a marvel to watch, especially in the second half of the match.

Katsvairo propelled the Gamecocks into the lead five minutes after the break when he scored from a goalmouth scramble.
Buffaloes goalkeeper, Hope Bere, was the villain of the day when he failed to handle Thabani Goredema’s lethargic effort taken more than 20 yards away and scupper the ball into own net in the 74th minute.

Goredema might have killed the match as a contest with his weak effort, but most probably he might live to remember it as one of the easiest goals of his career.
Chicken Inn coach, Joey Antipas, said it was too early to talk about championship glory.

“I think we struggled a bit in the first half and it appears we got our act together in the second half with the introduction of Majika. There are still 10 matches to go and we cannot really talk about champions permutations now except that we are still in the race,” he said.

Teams:
Buffaloes FC: H Bere, K Mwaramba, G Mukahanana, P Chandisaita, K Chigwida, T Jeffrey (C Kawinga 46th minute), S Nkata, R Mwenga (L Katongomara 67th minute), P Thembani, J Muzokomba, F Banda:

Chicken Inn: E Chipezeze, B Mbiriri, G Goddard, L Mhlanga, C Nkomo, E Chirambadare, B Nyahunzvi (T Mthimukhuku 75th minute), D Phiri, T Goredema, B Ncube, M Katsvairo:

Wednesday’s midweek matches results:
Hwange 3, Wha Wha 0; Dynamos 2, Triangle 0; Chapungu 1, Harare City 1; Dongo 0, Flame Lily 0.