daniel chigunwe
Sports Reporter
KAROI United have questioned the integrity of referee Matthew Dingo and have accused him of FAKING injury to ensure that their stormy Division One match against Scottland was abandoned at Chikangwe on Sunday.
The club claimed Dingo, who went down shortly before the end of the match, was accidentally hit by a stray ball thrown by a fan from the terraces.
Scottland officials claim the referee was hit by a missile and tensions had been rising inside the stadium with the match tied at 1-1 with three minutes of regulation time left.
It was the second match in the tense ZIFA Northern Region Division One League championship race, featuring the two leading contenders – Scottland and MWOS – to be abandoned in the final minutes.
The Shamva/MWOS match also ended prematurely a few weeks ago over a disputed goal.
Yesterday, Karoi United chairman, Charles Henry Marime, told H:Metro:
“The matter is with ZIFA and we cannot discuss more about theissue. We have since submitted our report to ZIFA.
“Dingo said he was abandoning the game as he had been injured. Our fans did not enter the stadium. There was never any pitch invasion. We were utterly surprised to hear him say he had been injured.
“Dingo just fell and said he had been hit by an unknown object. We cannot prove that he was hit by an object. We wanted to take him to hospital but he refused.”
Club secretary-general, Pirimukai Zishede, accused the referee of FAKING injury.
“Karoi United wishes to categorically dismiss the false reports circulating on social media alleging that our fans were involved in acts of violence during the match against Scottland Football Club at Chikangwe Stadium on Sunday.
“Those reports have left the club and supporters both shocked and dismayed, especially as they seem to be distorted to serve the unsporting motives of certain match officials.
“Those actions undermine the integrity of Karoi United Football Club and the entire Northern Region Soccer League.
“To clarify, there was no violence at Chikangwe Stadium. The incident in question involved a match ball that was thrown back into the field of play by a spectator, accidentally striking the centre referee.
“The referee acted by rolling on the ground, a reaction we believe to have been exaggerated to disrupt the match. The referee’s subsequent claim that Karoi United supporters intentionally threw the ball at him is both unfounded and misleading.”
He added:
“We wish to make it clear that the ball merely went out of play and was returned to the field in the normal course of the game.
“Any suggestion that this was a deliberate act of violence is entirely false. The referee’s exaggerated reaction, falling and rolling on the ground was unwarranted given the circumstances.
“Moreover, the referee’s ability to walk off the field unassisted clearly indicates that he was not as hurt as he tried to portray. Despite offers to take him to a private hospital for a medical examination, the referee refused, raising doubts about his injury claims.”
Online Reporter