Wanderers Women coach faults officiation in NBM Premiership

Mighty Wanderers Women head coach, Thom Kazembe, has urged the organizing body of the National Bank of Malawi National Women’s Premiership to address officiating problems in the League. He stressed that not every female referee is prepared to perform at the national level.

Kazembe made these comments on Wednesday afternoon in reaction to his team’s 1-1 draw against MK Academy at Mzuzu Stadium, claiming his side was playing against the match officials during the game.

“The referee frustrated us already in the first half when she awarded our opponents a penalty for what was not a handball. The ball was cleared, and yet, at the end, she admitted she was in a poor position. Then why blow the whistle?” Kazembe complained.

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He has since asked the League organizers to closely scrutinize the standard of officiating, suggesting the national league is being treated as a trial ground while teams are seriously competing for points.

“I think there’s a misunderstanding that just because this is a Women’s League, we should use every female referee. We need to understand that not every female referee can do better, and this is a national league. We need to improve on that if we are to do better,” Kazembe added.

Regarding the team’s performance, Kazembe noted that this is the team’s first national tournament, and his players are gradually gaining experience from the games they are playing.

“My players were previously playing tournaments in the villages, and this is an organized tournament. For them to transition to the current standard is taking time, but sooner rather than later, we will have a complete team,” he lamented.

Meanwhile, the team has maintained its unbeaten run away from home, securing four wins and one draw in away fixtures while losing all three matches played at home.

In the match against MK Academy, Tawina Kawaga opened the scoring inside the first 10 minutes, but Teleza Kanyikaleveled from the penalty spot to secure a point for the hosts. MK Academy now has four points from four draws and five losses.

The Wanderers Women’s team moved up a point to 13 points and now sits in fifth position in the league, with four wins, one draw, and three defeats.