Ntopwa FC owner Jomo Osman found guilty of assaulting referee

Ntopwa Football Club has been found guilty of the misconduct regulation of failing to control the actions of its supporters, players and officials and fined K25,000 for an offence committed by the team’s owner and technical director, Isaac Jomo Osman — who was found guilty of assaulting a referee during his team’s official league match.

According to the report filed by match commissioner of the 2021 First Capital Bank Under-20 League game — held at Police Training School at Kanjedza in Limbe on October 16, 2021 — Ntopwa were leading 2-0 deep in the second half before their opponents scored towards the end to make it 2-1.

The referee, only identified as Msiska, is reported to have indicated 3 minutes as added time at the end of the regulation time, which Soche Madrid took advantage of to equalize and thereafter the referee blew his whistle to mark the end of the match at 2-2.

The match commissioner’s report indicates that this “did not please” Jomo Osman, who proceeded to assault the referee after the game — citing that his decision on the additional of time was unfair as it advantaged Soche Madrid to score their equaliser.

Under Article 15 (Misconduct), of Blantyre District Youth Football Committee’s Rules & Regulations, “Clubs are responsible for the actions of their supporters, players and officials and are required to take all necessary precautions to prevent assaults on Referees, Players and Officials before, during and after the match at the ground”.

The League’s disciplinary committee thus found Ntopwa FC guilty of this misconduct of its official of the assault on referee Msiska while Jomo Osman — who is also Councilor for Bangwe Nthandizi in Blantyre City — was spared of further punishment as an individual though found guilty of the offence.

Apart from the K25,000 fine for a club failing to control the actions of its supporter, players and officials, the league’s misconduct regulation also indicate that the guilty parties “may be expelled from the League or be suspended for such a period as NYFA deems fit and proper”.

Blantyre District Youth Football Committee says if Ntopwa FC have any reservations on the charges and determination levelled against them, they have the right to appeal within 48 hours after paying a fee.

The disciplinary committee was chaired by Gray Alex Chokhotho in the presence of the youth football committee chairman; referees; match commissioner; Soche Madrid coach and observers.

Jomo Osman is never short of controversy in all he is involved in. As of Monday, November 15, there is a video clip circulating on social media in which the Councillor is seen in an altercation with an unidentified individual in a physical fighting incident that took place at Blantyre Youth Centre.

Jomo’s senior team Ntopwa FC were relegated from the TNM Super League and last September, Jomo Osman was appointed as Malawi U-20 national women’s team fitness trainer by the Football Association of Malawi (FAM).

As a political figure, Jomo always courted controversy — both before and after being elected Councilor for Bangwe Nthandizi under the ticket of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

In June last year, he was arrested by the Police in Blantyre over the then and still now undisclosed offences.

The arrested followed the DPP losing the 2020 fresh presidential elections won by the Malawi Congress Party (MCP).

People linked the arrest to an assault and harassment that Osman was captured perpetrating in a video in 2018 on an MCP supporter for wearing MCP cloth.

In the video, Osman was seen abusing and suffocating the MCP supporter at Bangwe market but he was never arrested for the assault.

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