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ZIFA Southern Region management has demanded reports from Black Boots and Old Nic Mine after their game was abandoned with the latter walking away from the field in the 89th minute on Saturday.
The match was abandoned when Black Boots had scored what Old Nic Mine allege was a “clear offside” through Stanley Ngala, giving his side a 2-1 lead.
Musa Mandaza, the Zifa Southern Region chairman said they will speedily deal with the abandoned game case, which happens to be the first incident this season.
“The competition had gone well and it’s unfortunate that we had a game abandoned at the weekend. We are waiting for the referee and match commissioner’s reports. We have also asked the two clubs to submit theirs so that this matter is brought to finality as soon as possible,” said Mandaza.
The referee accused of letting Black Boots score an offside is Nkosilathi Moyo.
The Zifa Southern Region is expected to announce their verdict next week, after the first round of the $12,000 LG Foods 16-team tournament.
Jotham “Big Joe” Moyo, Old Nic Mine’s chairman submitted his report yesterday.
“To date we have lost 13 games and we have never walked out of a game because we are not bad losers. We know that in football there are three results that is a win, draw or defeat. What we want is fair play and I don’t think the kind of officiating subjected to the club at Black Boots was good at all because it is such incompetence by match officials that scare away sponsors,” Moyo said.
“The ball is now in Zifa’s court because we submitted our report.”
Black Boots surrendered the top spot, sliding down two places to position three tied on 42 points with Hwange’s Technosphere and Tsholotsho FC who won their respective matches.
Technosphere were the weekend’s biggest winners following their 5-1 victory over former champions Quelaton whose franchise was surrendered to the National University of Science and Technology. The Hwange side is at the top of the log due to a superior goal difference.
Tsholotsho kept their title hopes alive with a 3-0 home win over Elephant FC who were missing the services of head coach Bekithemba “Super” Ndlovu who is attending a Caf B Licence coaching clinic underway in Bulawayo.
Fourth placed Plumtree Chiefs who were on a bye last weekend travelled to Hwange where they had a 2-1 victory, taking their points tally to 40, two behind the leading pack.
Ntabazinduna recovered from a 2-4 drubbing by Technosphere to collect maximum points in Hwange after narrowly beating Hwange Juniors 1-0. The correctional services side are tied on 40 points with Plumtree Chiefs but they have an inferior goal difference.
In the survival battle, New West City held ZPC Hwange to a 2-2 draw to steer away from the murky relegation waters.
Results
Saturday: Technosphere 5-1 Quelaton, Mpumalanga 1-2 Plumtree Chiefs, Tsholotsho FC 3-0 Elephant FC, ZPC Hwange 2-2 New West, Hwange Juniors 0-1 Ntabazinduna, Black Boots 2-1 Old Nic Mine (game abandoned 89th minute), Portland Cement 0-3 Trumus (walkover)
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