Trident Queens head coach Nicholas Zulu has accused the match officials of frustrating his players following his side’s 3-0 defeat to defending champions ZESCO Ndola Girls in a Week Nine Northern Zone ZPL Women Super Division encounter in Ndola.
Goals from Charity Mubanga, Majory Mulenga and Lesego Radiakanyo secured all three points for ZESCO, with Mubanga converting from the penalty spot before Mulenga and Radiakanyo added the other goals.
However, Zulu was left dissatisfiedwith the officiating, claiming that the referee’s decisions affected his players’ performance and disrupted their efforts to compete against the champions.
“The game was not good, you know, the referees, frustrating my players. So the players couldn’t play, because every time, they were helping them,” he said.
Zulu further claimed that Trident Queens were denied a penalty in the first half, a decision he believes affected the team’s confidence and mood going into the break.
“We saw a penalty in the first half and it was overlooked. And I’m sure it disturbed the mood for the players during the first half,” he said.
Asked what message he gave his players at half-time, Zulu said he encouraged them to remain focused on the game rather than allow the officiating to distract them.
“I just told them, just continue playing. Because if you play with the referee, then you know what the referee is doing,” he said.
He called on match officials to ensure fairness in their handling of matches, saying refereeing decisions should allow teams to compete on an equal footing.
Despite his frustration, Zulu accepted the result and said his team would now turn its attention to the next assignment.
Trident Queens are scheduled to face Nchanga Rangers Queens away from home, with Zulu insisting that a positive result will be important for his side’s position in the league standings.
