Online Reporter
Fungai Muderere, Zimpapers Sports
COACHES in any sport will argue a call. In football, though, the bigger question is how far they take it. Most of what is shouted across the touchline isn’t pleasant, but unless a coach goes completely overboard, referees usually let it pass.
It takes a certain type of person to be a referee, someone who accepts authority without glorifying it, someone with thick skin to withstand the abuse hurled by players, coaches, fans and even the media. A “good referee” is rarely celebrated, because a good referee is the one who angers everyone.
But in Zimbabwe’s Castle Lager Premier Soccer League, the fight between coaches and referees has been escalating and as the season edges towards its climax, emotions are boiling over. Clubs in the relegation scrap are desperate, title chasers are restless and every decision seems to fuel more fire.
The Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) insists it is working to uphold fair play and accountability, rolling out tougher training and evaluation programmes to strengthen officiating.
“Excellence in officiating is non-negotiable in the pursuit of a credible and respected league,” the association said.
Yet many coaches remain unconvinced. For them, the system is broken.
Masimba Dinyero, crowned Soccer Star of the Year in 1989 and now coach of Kwekwe United, was left fuming last month after a 2-0 defeat to Chicken Inn at Luveve Stadium, a result that sealed his team’s relegation.
“Yesteryear’s referees were hands-on. Nowadays, the referees are not on the spot for any incident,” Dinyero snapped.
“There are so many bribes that these referees are taking. They are incompetent and even if you test their fitness levels, it’s zero. We didn’t fail to score but we scored, and the referees decided otherwise. I don’t think we are going anywhere as a country. That’s why we will always struggle with regards to our international matches. We need to enjoy our football but with this kind of officiating no one will come to watch the matches. Look at the crowds, they are pathetic.”
Highlanders coach Hendrikus Pieter de Jongh has been just as vocal, promising he won’t let referees off the hook when he feels wronged. His Bosso side face Herentals today at Rufaro Stadium, but his focus isn’t just on the opponents.
“What we will demand and hope for is fair play. The referees and the linesmen need to be fair. People would say Pieter De Jongh is always fighting with referees, I will not stop. I will always stand my ground,” barked the Dutchman.
Week after week, De Jongh rages from the dugout, storming at fourth officials and sparring with referees in ways that often land him in hot water. His confrontational style has become as much a sideshow as Bosso’s matches themselves.
Still, referees are only human and while mistakes happen, the expectation remains that coaches set the tone. For all the shouting and finger pointing, the responsibility of leading by example rests on the men in the dugout. Players follow what they see. And when coaches make war with the whistle, the game suffers. -@FungaiMuderere
