DeMbare feel Gadzikwa turned into scapegoat Bongani Gadzikwa (left)
Bongani Gadzikwa (left)

Bongani Gadzikwa (left)

Mbachi Mutukula-Maregere /Eddie Chikamhi Sports Reporters
PREMIERSHIP giants Dynamos feel Bongani Gadzikwa is a scapegoat after he was suspended for the wrong call he made during their clash with Highlanders on Sunday.

The Glamour Boys say clubs have all along been suffering in silence over questionable decision by local referees.

Gadzikwa was suspended on Monday pending investigations, just 24 hours after he had turned down what appeared a genuine goal for Highlanders, ruling that Edmore Muzanenhamo was in an offside position when he scored from close range.

Television replays appeared to show otherwise.

Dynamos chairman Kenny Mubaiwa yesterday told The Herald that although the decision taken by the assistant referee was debatable, the situation was not anything different from similar cases that have passed without any action.

Mubaiwa said Gadzikwa was being sacrificed because the match was live on television and that it involved big teams.

He said the swiftness by the Zifa Referees Committee to suspend the referee has never been seen in the local Premiership despite complaints from clubs that they were suffering injustice at the hands of match officials.

“The questions that you then ask yourself are that what happens to those other cases where no action was taken against the referees?” said Mubaiwa.

“Why should this case be more special than the other cases we have witnessed in the Premiership? After this, there will surely be other cases and I doubt similar action will be taken.

“Just because it was live on television does not make this match and the decision taken at that stage different from what we witness in other matches.

“What happened to decisions that have also gone against some of us? Have the officials been suspended as well after those matches?”

The decision to suspend Gadzikwa, he said, puts Dynamos in bad light when “we have had many situations when we also felt robbed.”

“We had a clear goal turned down when we played against Tsholotsho with the assistant referee signalling off-side.

“For them to then treat this case like it is more important than all the other cases of poor officiating, it raises eyebrows.”

Mubaiwa said that the penalty awarded to Highlanders in the first half was also subject to debate.

“What people must understand is that we are not saying poor decisions are okay. However, the actions taken by the Referees Committee must always be uniform in all other cases even if the match is not live on television or not or whether it involves Dynamos and Highlanders or not,” Mubaiwa added.

Other clubs that spoke to The Herald yesterday said they were also getting raw deal from the match officials but it was all being swept under the carpet.

Harare City secretary-general Matthew Marara said the committee should deal with all cases fairly in the future.

He said his club were prejudiced last year in the Chibuku Cup final against FC Platinum and no action was taken.

He also mentioned their league game against Highlanders this year which ended 1-1 after Highlanders equalised in time added on from the penalty spot.

“We welcome the decision by the Referees Committee. Maybe, they are now beginning to be effective and we expect this to continue in future games,” said Marara.

“But, personally I don’t sympathise with Highlanders, not at all. I think it was good they had to experience what it means to be prejudiced by match officials.

“They have benefitted from bad officiating. Recently, when we played them they celebrated when the referee added eight minutes injury time, which could not be justified if we were to look at the flow of the match during regulation time.

“On top of that the referee gave them two penalties out of the blue and one of them was converted in those minutes of injury time. That obviously changed the outcome of the game and nothing was said or done.

“So we are saying all matches should be reviewed whether they are shown on television or not.

“The problem with our situation is that if you try to bring it to the fore you are charged with bringing the game of football into disrepute. In essence clubs are gagged.

“They should suffer in silence and the referees know that very well. So they do as they please and they are now getting used to it,” said Marara.

How Mine secretary James Zibowa said his team also suffered at the hands of match officials.

“We have met several such cases but because there was no television coverage, no one talks about it. We even have a footage in one of the games but it is difficult to start making noise about it.

“For example, we suffered great injustice in our game against Highlanders recently when they were awarded a penalty, which in all fairness was not supposed to be given.

“So I’m suggesting that we should have interactive platforms like a workshop which brings together referees and clubs so that some of the things are clarified.

“Then on another occasion at Gibbo our dressing room was vandalised and we lost valuables. But to our surprise we didn’t hear of any action. We doubt if the referees even included that in their reports,” said Zibowa.

 

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