HIGHLANDERS could be sanctioned heavily if they are found guilty of causing the abandonment of their Chibuku Super Cup quarterfinal clash against Simba Bhora played at Wadzanayi Stadium on Sunday.
The match was abandoned in the 76th minute after Bosso protested the awarding of a penalty to Simba Bhora.
Highlanders players refused to take their position to allow the penalty to be taken, forcing referee Cecil Gwezera to end the match prematurely.
The visitors argued that Peter Muduhwa had fouled Tinashe Balakasi outside the penalty area.
Television replays also show that the Kelvin Kaindu-coached team might have had a genuine case.
However, according to the competition’s rules and regulations, there won’t be any justification for what the Bulawayo giants did and the Premier Soccer League (PSL) are likely to descend hard on them if they are found to be on the wrong.
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Section 8 of the 2024 rules and regulations of the Chibuku Super Cup tournament says any team that causes the abandonment of a match shall be liable to a fine not less than US$6 000, and the match awarded to its opponent on a 3-0 scoreline.
“Causing an abandonment of a Chibuku Super Cup match, refer to Disciplinary Committee who shall impose a fine of not less than US$6 000 on the guilty team,” read section 8.8.
“The match result is awarded to the opposing team on a 3-0 winning score line or more if the opposing team has already reached a higher score. Further penalties or actions may be imposed by the PSL Disciplinary Committee or appointed ad-hoc committee where necessary.”
The refusal to continue with the game by Highlanders players irked their coach Kaindu and his Simba Bhora counterpart Tonderai Ndiraya, who said the action put local football and the name of the tournament sponsors into disrepute.
The game was broadcast live on TV.
Warriors new coach Michael Nees was part of the crowd that watched the chaos unfolding.
“It’s very disappointing, I’m really disappointed,” Ndiraya said.
“In this day and age, we don’t expect such things to happen. If you disagree with the referee, there are platforms to take those issues to.
“It’s unfortunate that the game had to end this way. We must learn to respect the sponsors, the supporters and the viewers on TV.”
He added: People are paying a lot of their monies, investing their time for them to be entertained and in the end, this is what we give them back. It’s sad.
In whatever form, this is unacceptable. When the referee has made a decision, there is no way you can change the decision and, unfortunately, we have seen what we have seen today, which is bad for our football.”
The two teams’ league clash at the same venue was also marred by incidences which almost forced the match to be abandoned, with Highlanders protesting a goal.
Kaindu distanced himself from the decision to bar the players from continuing with the game.
“For me to stand here, it’s difficult because I’m accustomed to give interviews after end of 90 minutes,” he said.
“It’s unfortunate that the game ended like this. It’s not good for sponsors.”
Added Kaindu: “It was not my decision (not to allow players back). Even Fifa has introduced VAR [video assistant referee] to avoid human error. The referee tried to manage the game, unlike the last time we played here.
“This is really not good for football. Even me as a coach, I wouldn’t want to coach a team that walks out of the field. It’s not good, but also what measures are being taken for decisions like that.
“If it was a penalty, maybe the first assistant was in a better position, but for the referee to move from where he was to come and see the player (Balakasi) in the box and decide that it’s a penalty, it becomes a bit challenging.
“It’s not good for football, for the sponsors and the fans who come to enjoy the game. People are putting in a lot of money. We also spend a lot of money to travel all the way to come here to fulfil the match, which at the end of the day could not finish.”
Prior to the abandonment, the referee had also suspended the game for five minutes as supporters from the two teams fought running battles on the stands.
The rival supporters pelted each other before the police intervened to calm the situation.
A number of football stakeholders have taken to their social media pages to debate about the Wadzanayi debacle.
While most are sympathetic with Highlanders because the referee erred, they feel the team’s knee-jerk reaction was unwarranted.
WADA accredited doctor Nick Munyonga, who was on duty for the match and watched the drama from close range, wrote on Facebook: “Whether inside the box or outside the box, I have always said if you want to play football, just know that the refs decision is final. Teams were eliminated from World Cups due to wrong decisions. Goal line technology and VAR were introduced to deal with situations like these.
“We have seen these decisions way before Simba Bhora existed. There are no perfect referees because they are human beings. A lot of people think the referee was watching a video like they did and now call him all sorts [of names]. Refusing to play will never make referees perfect.”
The PSL disciplinary committee will determine the outcome of the match to decide who meets Ngezi Platinum in the semi-final after the draw was conducted soon after the abandoned match.
The winner between Dynamos and Yadah will face Manica Diamonds, who booted out FC Platinum on Saturday.
The clash between Dynamos and Yadah was postponed due to the former's participation in the Caf Confederation Cup at the weekend.
Chibuku Super Cup semifinal draw
Ngezi Platinum Stars v Simba/Highlanders
Dynamos/Yadah v Manica Diamonds