OnSport Reporter
IN barely two months another Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match has been abandoned; the tie pitting Dynamos and FC Platinum at Rufaro Stadium, was called off with 15 minutes of play remaining.
Referee of the day Qedisani Dirwai awarded a penalty to visiting FC Platinum after adjudging that an attacking Oscar Bhebhe had been fouled inside the box by defender Emmanuel Jalai.
With the teams deadlocked at 1-1, all hell broke loose and the DeMbare players walked off the pitch and would not return, protesting the awarded spot kick and Dirwai called of the match.
Dynamos’ coach Saul Chaminuka had no kind words for the referee after the ill-fated match.
“Referees are cheating and there is no way that we can continue playing week-in and week-out when they keep giving away matches like that. They are not fair at all. Coaches are sick because of the manner in which they are handling matches and they just go scot-free. If they allowed that penalty to be taken, they would have just gone scot-free. At least the match commissioner has something to write about. Let’s see what the match commissioner is going to say about this game,” Chaminuka said.
But as precedent has been set, the club that walks off the pitch usually bear the brunt of losing that game after the matter is tabled before a PSL disciplinary committee.
Article 31.1 of the PSL rules and regulations state: “Without derogating from the generality of what constitutes an act of misconduct/ offence, the following are specifically declared to be acts of misconduct offences on the part of a player, official, servant or duly authorised (express or implied) representative of a club, official of the league, member of the emergency committee, or member of any sub-committee as the case may be: 31.1.13.2 Causing the abandonment or attempting to cause the abandonment of a match.”
FC Platinum gaffer, Norman Mapeza condemned Dynamos’ behaviour saying his side has also been affected by the same decisions by match official but they have played on.
“If you’re going to walk out of the pitch, we’re not solving anything. It has happened to us; I’m not saying because it happened to the other players today and it’s okay. It has happened to us. Matches where maybe goals were scored from offside, maybe another team was given penalties or maybe we were denied penalties, but we can’t walk out of the pitch. We can’t. Let’s just continue this play, we never know what might happen. But I don’t think it’s good for football at the moment.”
Dirwai was once again caught in the eye of the storm last month when he was the man in the centre in a match pitting Scottland FC and Chicken Inn, handing the former a penalty at the death of the game at Rufaro Stadium.
Walter Musona volleyed a shot which Chicken Inn’s Dominic Jaricha blocked with his arm and Dirwai pointed to the spot just before the match was about to the end.
That penalty was never taken as the Gamecocks players walked off the pitch and the match was called off.
Last month, Zifa suspended four of its match officials Lawrence Zimondi, Nelson Meke and Tichaona Mbire and Owen Manenda for various misdemeanors.
