Mafco Football Club head coach Stereo Gondwe has alleged that referees pre-arranged his team’s 3-0 defeat to FCB Nyasa Big Bullets, claiming match officials played a decisive role in Tuesday’s league encounter at Kamuzu Stadium.
The Salima-based soldiers were comprehensively beaten by the league leaders, with Hassan Kajoke opening the scoring in the 37th minute after connecting with Paul Master’s cut-back. Kajoke completed his brace seven minutes later with a strike from close range.
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Substitute Babatunde Adepoju sealed the victory late in the match, tapping home Sean McBram’s cross to complete the 3-0 scoreline.
Despite the comfortable margin of defeat, Gondwe refused to accept the result at face value, directing his frustration at the match officials.
“I can’t say about why we didn’t score a goal because each and everyone was seeing the striking force which we have. We missed chances and it happens in a game of football,” Gondwe said. “But this is not the way we are going to play football in Malawi, because if you see Big Bullets and Mafco is a big game and you must give it to the correct referees that can officiate the game.
“If you see first half, we lost concentration, nothing else we can do, we go back, train and prepare for the game against Chitipa. We haven’t seen any problems here but the problem is the referee. That’s why we say, let’s play the game, if one wins and one loses, no problem, losing 3-0 is okay but this is not the way we are going to play football. This is pre-arranged from the referees.”
He added emphatically: “Exactly, we have lost the game because of the referees because each and everyone was seeing what the referee was doing.”
“Fixture Congestion Compounds Frustrations”
Beyond his complaints about officiating, Gondwe also expressed dismay at the fixture schedule, arguing it leaves insufficient time for his team to recover and prepare adequately.
After Tuesday’s match in Blantyre, Mafco FC must travel approximately 1,000 kilometers to face Chitipa United in Chitipa on Saturday.
“How are we going to prepare for the next game? We are here in Blantyre, then Saturday they say we should go play against Chitipa in Chitipa. Even if you are the Coach, how can you prepare the team?” Gondwe questioned.
“We are here in Blantyre, when are we going to train? From here to Chitipa is about 1,000km. I don’t even know how to coach the team, I don’t know how many minutes I’m going to have to work on the mistakes that we have seen in this game.”
League Standings
The victory extends Bullets’ dominance at the top of the table, opening a seven-point gap over second-placed Mighty Wanderers FC. Bullets now have 49 points from 19 games.
Mafco FC remain in 11th position with 23 points from 21 matches, facing a challenging trip north as they look to recover from this heavy defeat.
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