CAPS United coach Lloyd Chitembwe expressed his frustration with the officiating standards in the Premier Soccer League (PSL), likening it to a “comic show.” This sentiment arose after the Green Machine’s legitimate equalizer was disallowed during their match against FC Platinum.
Assistant referee Mncedisi Maposa raised the offside flag, denying Ralph Kawondera the goal in the 86th minute. The controversial decision incensed CAPS United fans, who couldn’t wait for referee Lloya Mapanje to consult his assistant.
Their protest led to a 20-minute stoppage and eventual abandonment of the match. Chitembwe emphasized the need to elevate refereeing standards to eliminate such controversies in football officiating. He said via Soccer24:
Such has been the problem in our football, where the wrong man takes centre stage. It’s just unfortunate and it has probably reduced this PSL to a comic show and it’s very unfortunate.
Week in and week out, people are always complaining about poor officiating. It’s something that needs to be eradicated from our game if aspire to be a pure football nation.
It’s very disappointing to see a referee taking centre stage for all the wrong reasons. He (the assistant referee) has taken away an opportunity for this boy (Kawondera) to shine.
That was a contender for goal of the season as far as I’m concerned. This has always been the case in Zimbabwe and I hope it comes to an end.
Before the abandonment of the match, FC Platinum held a 1-0 lead thanks to Juan Mutudza’s eighth-minute strike.
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