Match officials under spotlight

 

Moffat Mungazi
Sports Reporter

 

MATCH officials handling Castle Lager Premier Soccer League matches have of late come under heavy scrutiny over their performances in the centre of the park, with some sections of the game accusing them of bias.

 

On Saturday, the second assistant referee in the league match between Manica Diamonds and CAPS United – Kuda Marange – had to be escorted off the field by police and security details when some members of the Gem Boys were baying for his blood at the end of the game after he had ruled defender Lawrence Masibera’s header for offside.

 

Award-winning referee Brighton Chimene chalked off the effort, which would have thrust the hosts into the lead deep in the second half.

 

Manica Diamonds third choice goalkeeper Joseph Kaunda, who was recently called up for national duty, was shown a red card in the ensuing melee.

 

Only recently, protests from some Chicken Inn players forced the abandonment of their match against Scottland over what they deemed an unfair penalty awarded to the hosts by referee Quedsani Dirwai.

 

Following other questionable officiating incidents this season, the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) last week suspended referee Owen Manenda as the mother body cracked the whip on poor performances.

 

Manenda was handed a six-match suspension for his error-strewn performance in the Harare Derby when Dynamos faced CAPS United last month.

 

This came hot on the heels of another suspension of three other match officials by ZIFA – Lawrence Zimondi, Nelson Meke and Tichaona Mbire – after their performances reportedly fell short of the expected standards in the top-flight league.

 

ZIFA has reaffirmed their commitment to upholding the game’s integrity and credibility.

 

“All match officials are expected to maintain the highest levels of professionalism, consistency and competence. Corrective action will be taken wherever standards are not met,” said ZIFA.