Karonga United departed Aubrey Dimba Stadium in a fury on Wednesday, citing poor officiating as the primary reason for their narrow 1-0 defeat to Creck Sporting Club.
The loss marks a difficult run for the Northern Region outfit, handing them their second successive defeat on the road following a similar 1-0 loss to Kamuzu Barracks.
Karonga United entered the match with high ambitions, hoping to secure a win that would have vaulted them to fourth on the log table, level on points with third-placed Silver Strikers.
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However, those ambitions were dampened early in the first half. Ramadan Ntafu, the former Chitipa United striker, rose to nod home a Frank Phiri corner kick, handing Creck Sporting the lead.
The visitors’ frustrations boiled over in the second half. In the 60th minute, Karonga United were reduced to ten men when Lovemore Ngolombe received his marching orders after picking up a second yellow card. The tension escalated further when Head Coach Oscar Kaunda was also shown a red card after a heated exchange of words with match officials.
“Ma Referee Akutengapo Mbali”
Following the match, Karonga United Assistant Coach Christopher Chinkwita did not hold back. He accused the officiating team of favoring the home side and targeting his team to prevent them from climbing the table.
Chinkwita lamented:
“Chimene ndinganene ndichoti, ma referee akutengapo mbali kwambiri ndi ma team a pakhomo Nde akuononga mpira pa Malawi pano, we can’t blame oyendetsa league koma ma referee awawa akupweteka ma team.
“Game iyiyi ifeyo tikanawina ndithu kumano koma referee atengapo mbali ndithu. Iyayi palibe panavuta, chifukwa chake tikuti ma referee akutengapo mbali, asamawinitse ma team chifukwa chokwera.
“Team yathu ndi yabwinobwino komano iwowo apange avoid zokwera ma team, and asamakhale ndi target kuti Karonga ikawina ikhala pa position 4, tilowe mground, timenye Mpira umene timawaphunzitsa ana ku training. Chimene chimalakwika ndi choti ma team-wa akutengapo mbali, let the team play their games.
“Team yathu yamenya bwino kwambiri, any action imene tingapange, referee amatengapo mbali, chonchi sitingapite patali.”
The defeat was a bitter pill to swallow for a team that had struggled simply to make it to the venue. The fixture hung in limbo earlier in the week after Karonga United announced on Monday that they were unable to travel due to the country’s ongoing fuel crisis.
Despite the logistical nightmare, the team managed to leave Karonga on Monday night to fulfill the fixture. This match marked a grueling schedule for the side, being their sixth away game in their last seven outings.
Karonga United have now played 23 games and have seven fixtures remaining to wrap up their season. Home Fixtures include Chitipa United, Civil Service United, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets, Silver Strikers, Dedza Dynamos, and Ekhaya while Away Fixture is against Mighty Mukuru Wanderers.
This is not the first time the technical panel has complained of bias; Coach Oscar Kaunda raised similar concerns regarding officiating during their previous loss to Kamuzu Barracks at Civo Stadium.
Match Officials:
- Center Referee: Luckson Chiunda
- Assistants: Evance Musonda, Charles Lulaka
Featured image- Creck Media
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