HIGHLANDERS have been summoned to appear before the Premier Soccer League ad hoc committee over their involvement in last weekend’s abandoned Chibuku Super Cup quarterfinal clash against Simba Bhora at Wadzanayi Stadium.
The match was abandoned in the 76th minute after Bosso protested the awarding of a penalty to Simba Bhora.
Highlanders goalkeeper Ariel Sibanda refused to take his 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 showed that the Kelvin Kaindu-coached team might have had a genuine case.
Gwezera and one of his assistants on the day have since been suspended for six weeks over the debacle.
The Premier Soccer League said they have gathered all the information they require to start the disciplinary proceedings.
“The Premier Soccer League (PSL) has received official match reports from Simba Bhora FC, Highlanders FC and the match officials following the abandonment of the Chibuku Super Cup quarterfinal match between the two clubs played at Wadzanayi Stadium on Sunday September 22, 2024,” a statement from the PSL yesterday read.
- Chiefs sucker punch Bosso out
- Highlanders end 9-year misery
- Bosso, DeMbare summoned over abandoned match
- Zifa, PSL reach cup compromise.
Keep Reading
“In accordance with the Chibuku Super Cup rules and regulations, Highlanders FC have been summoned to appear before the PSL ad hoc committee on allegations of breaching the Chibuku Super Cup rules and regulations, specifically: Order 8.8: Causing the abandonment of a Chibuku Super Cup match. The hearing will take place at the PSL offices on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at 1730hrs.”
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.
“Further penalties or actions may be imposed by the PSL Disciplinary Committee or appointed ad hoc committee where necessary,” section 8.8 reads.
The refusal to continue with the game by Highlanders players irked even 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 unfold.
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 the awarding of a goal to Simba Bhora.
Kaindu distanced himself from the decision to bar the players from continuing with the game.
“For me to stand here, it is difficult because I am accustomed to give interviews after end of 90 minutes,” he said.
“It is unfortunate that the game ended like this. It’s not good for sponsors.”
Kaindu added: “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 would not want to coach a team that walks out of the field. It is 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 is a penalty, it becomes a bit challenging.
“It is 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 play the match, which at the end of the day could not finish.”
His opposite number Ndiraya said: “It is very disappointing, I am really disappointed.
“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 is 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 football.”
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.
