Mafco lodge complaint to FAM over Top 8 poor official
Mafco have written Football Association of Malawi (FAM) to complain over poor officiation during their Airtel Top 8 quarterfinals second leg match at Chitowe Stadium on Saturday.
This follows this team’s 2-1 loss through late Babatunde Adepoju late goals, including a stoppage time penalty to fall 5-2 on aggregate.
In a letter, signed by the team’s general secretary Arnold Nkhoma, raises four issues that they allege the female referee Mercy Mziya overlooked.
States the letter in part: “The referee failed to control the game, Mercy should have awarded the soldiers the penalty as their player Peter Katsonga was tripped down in the box, Nyasa Big Bullets’ goal was from an offside position.
“The second assistant referee’s flag was up at the time of the action, but later reversed the decision and the penalty awarded to the Peoples Team in the dying minutes of the game wasn’t genuine as Bullets forward Bright Munthali dived.”
With their victory from behind, Bullets face their rivals Mighty Wanderers in the semi-finals while TN Stars and Silver’s game winners and Karonga United and Civo Service game winners this weekend will complete the semi-finalists.
After the match, Mafco assistant coach Yohane Fulaye, who took charge of the game in the absence of head coach Temwa Msuku, described the result as a travesty of justice.
In his remarks former FAM general secretary Charles Nyirenda said the referee handled the match professionally, but messed up towards the end through indecisiveness.
“She was taking too long to blow for an infringement as if somebody was controlling from somewhere. The fact that she gave an advantage after a foul in the box, was a good idea but decided to give a penalty way after the same incident smacks of indecisiveness,” he said.
