By Williams Gondwa & Peter Fote
The wrangle between TNM Super League teams and referees over poor and biased officiation will likely turn sour after the National Football Referees Association (NFRA) advised its members to show no mercy when handling matches.
NFRA General Secretary Chris Kalichero said referees have been told to flash red cards as many as they can to officials and players that are undermining the duties of referees.
This follows two incidents over the weekend when some Blue Eagles players went after referee Rose Zimba and assistant referee Peri Kumwenda before commotion broke at Mzuzu Stadium during the team’s 1-0 loss to Ekwendeni Hammers.
Another incident happened when Silver Strikers Coach Pieter de Jongh ran towards referee Davie Chombo soon after the team’s goalless draw against Chitipa United.
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Security personnel, including Silver players, quelled the situation.
Kalichero said the conduct of Eagles and Silver over the weekend was unacceptable.
“I think we are now being taken for granted. The action by Silver coach and Eagles players is clear mob justice. Referee is an officer in charge of the game and must be respected.
“We are disappointed and are waiting for Sulom to take serious action,” Kalichero said.
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Sulom Vice General Secretary Donnex Chilonga said they will take action once they receive and review match reports.
“It is very unfortunate that the referees were treated in such a wrong way. We will try protecting the whistle men. It is sad to learn that when we are trying our best to revive, reform and rebrand the league, others are not interested in our agenda,” he said.
Eagles General Secretary Benjamin Msowoya could not be reached to comment.
Meanwhile, Silver have thrown their full weight behind de Jong, who has been condemned by Sulom and the National Football Coaches Association (NFCA) for his conduct on Saturday.
“I do not know why Silver is always targeted. Is running into the pitch punishable by law and which case did the coach commit?
“Sulom have better cases to pursue than warning de Jong. We hear some players from another team almost beat up a referee in Mzuzu. Why can’t they warn those players? We know that others are not happy seeing our team topping the log table. Maybe they want some teams to win it,” Silver Board Secretary Peter Masiye said.
Ironically, NCFA also cautioned de Jong through a statement released yesterday.
“The National Football Coaches Association strongly condemns the appalling behaviour exhibited by Silver Coach Pieter de Jong immediately after the final whistle in the match against Chitipa. As the governing body for coaches in Malawi, we emphasise that football coaching in our country is bound by a code of conduct that must be strictly adhered to,” reads a statement signed by the body’s general secretary Davie Mpima.
