Chronicle Editor
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Premier Soccer League is not amused by the seemingly selective enforcement of rules after match officials allowed Herentals Football Club owner Innocent Benza to be in the dugout and bark instructions while the rest of the substitutes sat on the stands.
On Sunday, the 50-year old Benza, who plays as a striker for his club, was listed as a substitute but instead sat on the technical bench for the first half of his team’s Chibuku Super Cup semi-final against FC Platinum, issuing instructions from the touchline at Mandava Stadium.
Annoyed by an increase of unqualified coaches and support staff at the dugout, the PSL in June notified clubs that only accredited members of their technical teams should be on the bench.
Benza is registered as a player and for the FC Platinum encounter which Herentals went on to win 4-3 on penalties to book a place in the final against Bulawayo Chiefs, the substitutes sat at a separate designated stand at Mandava. It therefore meant that Benza was supposed to sit with his teammates.
But clad in a navy short, a blue t-shirt and sandals, Benza was allowed in the technical area, raising questions whether the match officials conducted inspections on the teams before kickoff. Herentals used a pink uniform, with the substitutes putting on white Chibuku Super branded t-shirts.
Kudzai Bare, the PSL communications and media liaison officer indicated that they are in the process of seeking clarity from Zimbabwe Football Association as to why Benza, who was listed as a substitute was not in uniform like other players and why he sat on the bench.
“It is the responsibility of the match officials to ensure that only accredited personnel sit on the technical bench and to conduct inspection of all players before the match. We are writing to Zifa to find out why that did not happen,” said Bare.
It is not the first time that referees have turned a blind eye on Benza sitting on the bench without wearing his team’s uniform. In May, he was captured at Luveve Stadium when his team drew 0-0 against Chicken Inn wearing grey track pants and a black replica shirt for New Zealand’s national rugby team. On that day, he spent the better part of the match remonstrating with referees who did not take any action on him.
Meanwhile, Herentals will face Chiefs in the final of the Chibuku Super Cup on November 19 at Barbourfields Stadium.
Chiefs knocked out Black Rhinos 5-4 after penalty shootouts after the match had ended 0-0 in regulation time. Both teams will be appearing in the final of the country’s most lucrative club competition for the first time ever. — @ZililoR
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