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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter

AS Bulawayo City head for “mission impossible” Castle Lager Premier Soccer League clash against Black Rhinos at Vengere Stadium, they will recall how referees sealed their fate condemning them to Division One with questionable decisions.

Bulawayo City are fourth from the bottom of the table with 33 points, three behind ZPC Kariba who play host to Herentals at Nyamhunga Stadium tomorrow.

To survive relegation on the last day, which is highly unlikely, Bulawayo City need to win by a 10-goal margin against Black Rhinos and pray that ZPC Kariba concedes defeat at home to Herentals.

Bulawayo City blew any meaningful chance of taking their survival fight to the wire when they surrendered a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 at home to Harare City. That result allowed ZPC Kariba to head to the Herentals match without any pressure after playing to a 1-1 draw with Highlanders at Barbourfields Stadium.

But while Bulawayo City travel to Black Rhinos this afternoon, they will recall two matches that they feel “robbed” as the referees’ decisions had a huge bearing to their fate.

In August, Hwange based referee Hardly Ndazi’s decision to award Herentals a last minute penalty that led to Bulawayo City controversially going down 1-0 at Barbourfields Stadium.

With the match seemingly headed for a draw, Ndazi, not new to controversy, decided that the coming together of Bulawayo City defender Wilfred Munorwei and Herentals’ substitute Prince Chama constituted an impediment on the Student’s player.

Brighton Majarira converted the spot kick to condemn Bulawayo City and weeks later, the Zifa Referees Committee “silently” sanctioned Ndazi by freezing him out of PSL games.

After the Herentals controversial defeat, Bualwayo City witnessed another episode of horrific officiating that aided Caps United to a victory in Harare.

Bulawayo City were denied two genuine-looking goals, by calls made by both assistant referees against Caps United as they went on to lose the encounter 1-0 at the National Sports Stadium.

Bulawayo City were then third from the bottom of the table with 21 points and would have moved out of the bottom four had assistant referees Albinos Zigwati and Chenai Ndoro made the right calls.

Zigwati erroneously flagged Solomon Sithole’s eighth minute headed goal for offside, even though videos captured by the league’s official broadcaster Zimpapers Television Network (ZTN) show the player running from inside to meet a perfect Lewis Ncube cross from the right.

In the 90th minute, City thought they had stolen at least a point after Dalubuhle Dlodlo ran from the blindside and lobbed home the ball after being set through by Melikhaya Ncube, only for Ndoro to raise his flag for off-side.

The entire Bulawayo City team charged at the assistant referee, but as the football rule book says, “referee’s decision is final” and Caps United match officials to thank for aiding them to victory and out of relegation.

Notwithstanding some of the tactical errors that Bulawayo City made during the season, those two matches robbed the local authority side of an opportunity to head into the last game of the season with something to fight for.

Bulawayo City could have gained four points from the Herentals and Caps United games.

The ugly side of it all is that the culprits, who are the referees who decided to abandon the laws of the game with questionable officiating keep going scot-free, while clubs that invest money are robbed.
PSL Matchday 34 Fixtures

Saturday, November 12: ZPC Kariba v Herentals (Nyamhunga Stadium), Black Rhinos v Bulawayo City (Vengere Stadium), Ngezi Platinum Stars v Whawha (Baobab Stadium), Chicken Inn v Triangle United (Luveve Stadium), FC Platinum v Cranborne Bullets (Mandava Stadium), Harare City v Highlanders (National Sports Stadium)
Sunday, November 13: Tenax v Manica Diamonds (Sakubva Stadium), Bulawayo Chiefs v Yadah (Luveve Stadium), Dynamos v Caps United (National Sports Stadium)
— @ZililoR