Matemera in eye of storm

Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor.
HARARE referee Norman Matemera and his second assistant Oscar Bumhe of Bulawayo look set to face sanctions from the ZIFA Referees Committee following the controversy that marred FC Platinum’s Chibuku Cup final victory over Harare City at Mandava on Sunday. FC Platinum snatched a draw, from the jaws of defeat, in regulation time before eventually running out 3-1 winners in a penalty shootout lottery.

Coach Masimba Dinyero’s Sunshine Boys, who were on the verge of celebrating their finest hour in their short stint in the top-flight game, felt hard done by the FC Platinum equaliser that cancelled a first half strike by Talent Chawapiwa.

That equaliser, forced the game into extra time and subsequent kicks from the penalty spot, after the teams had remained deadlocked 1-1.
Harare City were seething with anger and were left crying foul as FC Platinum earned the ticket to represent Zimbabwe in next year’s Confederation Cup.

Earlier indications were that Harare City’s bitterness was only based on the fact that the ball had not crossed the line when FC Platinum struck their equaliser just over the four minutes of Matemera’s added time.

But it has emerged that Dinyero and his men were also not amused with the build-up to the goal, including the awarding of a free-kick to the hosts, which led to Walter Musona’s scrambled goal.

Although Harare City had, by yesterday, not officially lodged a complaint with the Premier Soccer League, the Zifa Referees Committee, who are responsible for appointing the match officials last night, indicated that they would institute their own disciplinary action on their men after receiving a report from respected FIFA and CAF match Commissioner Felix Tangawarima.

ZIFA Referees Committee vice-chairman Wilfred Mukuna also clarified yesterday that contrary to media reports, the other man at the centre of the controversy was not first assistant referee Abraham Manda but the second assistant Bumhe.

Mukuna revealed that Bumhe, who also took time to signal for a goal after Musona struck, had his flag up for offside against FC Platinum, shortly before Matemera awarded the platinum miners the free-kick that resulted in the hosts’ goal.

The veteran referees’ administrator said his committee would act based on the Match Commissioner’s report they had received from Tangawarima.
“We had taken advantage of the presence in the country of a senior match commissioner Felix Tangawarima and requested him to commission the final. I have spoken to him and we have also since received his report.

“But I must say we have not yet received a complaint from anybody. I understand ZBC have footage of the goal and will avail it to us … they have told us that from their footage the ball had crossed the line.

“We, however, have our own internal procedures and it we will take action internally on the incidents that are cited in the report and from what we would have observed.
“If the second assistant referee had kept his flag his up, the incident would not have happened and whether there is a complaint or not we will always take internal action because we would have received the match commissioner’s report anyway,’’ Mukuna said.

It emerged, too, that Bumhe lifted his flag up after adjudging that a FC Platinum attacker had strayed into an offside position but with Matemera either ignoring his assistant or failing to check with the man running the line, the miners kept charging towards the Harare City goal.

Matemera then blew for an infringement on a FC Platinum player during that attack and from the resultant free-kick Thabani Kamusoko flighted a long ball into a crowded box with Musona having the decisive touch that gave his team the leveler and turned the game on its head.

The referee also ignored appeals by the Harare City players about the offside incident prior to the free-kick.
The rule book, according to Mukuna, requires that “the assistant referee should not put his flag down until the danger has been averted’’ and that Matemera and Bumhe conspired to change their decision after the latter had signaled for offside will now be matter for the Referees Committee to deal with.

Harare City players and officials were also unhappy with the referee’s decision to deny them a chance to take a corner, he had awarded them, and instead end the match during that window of time added on.

With the domestic season now coming to a close it was not immediately clear, however, what kind of sanctions Matemera and Bumhe would face from the ZRC as suspending them for the remainder of the season would mean missing just one round of league games.

Despite feeling being hard done by Matemera’s controversial officiating, Harare City also look set to incur a PSL fine after they caused a 20-minute delay to the start of the final.
Their goalkeeper Maxwell Nyamupanedengu turned up wearing a jersey that had earlier been rejected during a pre-match meeting.

Harare City delayed turning up for mandatory inspection by the match officials and these delays meant that by the time the shootout lottery started, the light at Mandava was fading.