SRFL threatens to ban violent teams
The Southern Region Football League (SRFL) has threatened to ban teams that have turned the second-tier league into a boxing arena with referees at the receiving end of jabs and hooks.
SRFL general secretary George Pagaja delivered the stern warning yesterday, a day after Ndirande Icon supporters assaulted referees Happy Ng’ambi, Patrick Kapito and Ramsey Kamwana following the club’s 1-3 loss to Nyasa United at BAT Ground.
The fans associated with Icons chased the referee and beat him up a few metres away from the ground.
On Saturday, Evirom players roughed up referee Andy Kuseli at Surestream Stadium in Chilomoni Township after the hosts’ 1-0 win over Evirom who accused him of biased officiation.
Recently, Mangochi players also beat up a referee Herbert Fandida during a home game against Bvumbwe Research.
Nguludi team also assaulted a referee after a Division One match against Blantyre Vendors at BAT Ground.
Hearings for the cases are pending. Pagaja said they were worried as instead of spending time hunting for sponsorship, they were inundated with cases requiring time and money to conduct hearings.
“Refereeing demands professionalism. We work on trust and if referees are corrupt, it is all in the heart and it is bad. However, the teams should know that there are ways of protesting. If the assault of referees continues, we will ban the teams for a year. We have such powers. We have a big task of ensuring that we finish the season in conformity with the harmonised calendar and these issues are derailing our efforts,” Pagaja explained.
In reaction, Southern Region Referees Committee (SRRC) chairperson Alfred Chasowa said they would only handle games involving Evirom, Mangochi Police, Nguludi and Ndirande Icons after disciplinary hearings and upon compensation of K100 000 to the assaulted referees.
“We already made up our position clear to the league before the start of the season. Let them get referees from outside the country. Referees are not trees. They are also human beings.
The league shares the blame for not conducting refresher courses and not paying the referees well. Certainly, giving them K3 600 for a set of three referees is too little,” Chasowa said yesterday.
Evirom director Emmanuel Viola yesterday blamed the referees for being corrupt, saying they get K10 000 from some clubs to fix games. While insisting that he had the evidence, he could not explain why he has not reported the same to police.
“But we do not instruct the players to beat up referees. We, in fact, condemn that in strongest terms. We have since stripped off captaincy to two players for such incidents,” Viola claimed.
Other Wednesday results: Chanco 0 Max Bullets 5, Prison United 1 Zomba United 1,Changalume Barracks 1 Cobbe Barracks 2.
