Football Association of Malawi (Fam) will lodge a complaint to Fifa over the behaviour of Kenya women’s national football team coach David Ouma who, in typical boxing fashion, smashed a Kamuzu Stadium dressing room glass door with a blow in a fit of rage over officiation.
Fam Competitions and Media Director, Gomezgani Zakazaka, Thursday said they would wait for match commissioner Dudu Dube’s report to Fifa before following suit.
“The good thing about the incident is that it happened in full view of the match commissioner [from eSwatini] and all officials from Fifa’s delegation. They witnessed it and even asked Kenya’s team manager to give the match commissioner a written explanation on the coach’s action…the report is going to Fifa and we hope Fifa would take action as per their disciplinary code,” Zakazaka said.
“We will write Fifa to complain about the behaviour because, as you know, there are supposed to be costs to follow in as far as repairing the damaged infrastructure [is concerned]. So, we are also working hand-in-hand with our colleagues at Kamuzu Stadium to assess the damage and look at reports from our people on the ground and that is when we will file a complaint to Fifa.”
Ouma had to be stitched after injuring his right arm in the dressing room during break of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games second round, first leg qualifying match, which the She-Flames won 3-2 courtesy of Madinga Nguluwe’s goal and a Tabitha Chawinga double.
Ouma was against Zimbabwean referee Thanks Nyahuye’s decision to award Malawi a penalty after adjudging Kenyan Sheril Angachi to have fouled Temwa Chawinga in the penalty box. Tabitha converted from the spot in the 39th minute.
However, the Kenyan mentor, who missed the better part of the second half while at the hospital, downplayed the incident in a post-match interview insisting that he hit the door accidentally.
“Of course, a simple situation…I think the dressing room has to be better. I swing my hand because I want to give instructions but some objects there catches my hand,” he said.
Stadium Manager, Ambilike Mwaungulu, Thursday said they were yet to assess the damage to the door before submitting a report for Fam to process the cost of repairs.
“It’s the door frame. It was the whole glass that has been broken. It can’t be correct that he was trying to give instructions to the players because the door in question is the one leading to the dressing room and not the ones in the dressing room itself.
“According to police officers who were there, he was so angry that he just wanted to hit something and he did. There was blood all over the dressing room and he had to be rushed to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital because the injury was too much for First Aid personnel at the stadium. He had to be rushed to the hospital in a fire engine because the ambulance had to still be there at the stadium in case of another emergency. After all, all are emergency vehicles,” Mwaungulu said.
Before the incident, Ouma was so agitated on the touchline that he kept complaining over officiation.
At one time, he stared and seemed to provoke his Malawian counterpart Abel Mkandawire, saying “this is not fair…not fair”.
Ouma sarcastically clapped hands at the officiating personnel while walking to the dressing room before venting his anger at the glass door, hitting it so hard in a typical boxer Isaac Chilemba style.
