Chaminuka unleashes fury on referees

Tadious Manyepo in Mhondoro-Ngezi

Ngezi Platinum Stars  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   (0) 2

Dynamos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  (0) 1

DYNAMOS coach Saul Chaminuka says he could have told his players to walk off the pitch when Ngezi Platinum were awarded a late penalty that saw them win this Castle Lager Premier Soccer league tie at Baobab yesterday.

The former Kwekwe United gaffer, who was taking charge of the Glamour Boys for only his second game, having forced a 1-1 draw against CAPS United last weekend, labelled the standards of refereeing in the country as shocking.

Veteran referee Brighton Chimene handled yesterday’s match with Edgar Rumeki and Polite Dube, the first and second assistants, respectively.

“We could have told our players after that penalty against us was awarded, to say, no, let it go, whatever, let’s
go to the table and let them decide. But we can’t do that,” retorted Chaminuka.

“I am not a bad loser. I do not want to complain every time I lose a game of football, but look at their (Ngezi Platinum) first goal, the equaliser.

“Initially, he’s offside, and the referee (Dube) has his flag up, and then he puts it down, because he’s waiting to see what is going to happen, right.”

The Glamour Boys had looked well in control of proceedings when the hosts’ goalkeeper Tendai Chirara turned a Frank Agyemang’s lofted ball into his own net 32 minutes into the encounter.

They were not playing flashy football, but they were compact in their industry as they tried hard to avert every foray on their way to what could have been only their second win in 13 games.

They did hang in there for most of the second phase, but then allowed Ngezi substitute MacDonald Eddisone to squeeze in the equaliser with 11 minutes remaining on the clock.

Then with a minute of regulation time to play, Chimene awarded a penalty to the hosts after Tanaka Munemo was pulled down just as he was about to pull the trigger.

“Then again, on the second goal that penalty; action started way back outside the box and the ref doesn’t blow his whistle before that player is pushed and he goes to the ground, and I don’t know, I don’t know whether it is the other team’s player that has to be pulled and pushed,” he said.

“And then there is a whistle, I fail to understand.

“I don’t know whether these referees think that we are involved in a game that we don’t know. I think, the game of football is ours, and I think they just need to respect it.”

While Chaminuka was spitting vitriol on the match officials, his counterpart Takesure Chiragwi felt relieved after finally seeing his team securing the maximum points.

The 2023 champions are now on 23 points, five behind leaders MWOS, who held GreenFuel 1-1.