Nkana FC head coach Mwenya Chipepo has criticized match officials following his team’s 1-1 draw against Kabwe Warriors in Kabwe. Chipepo was left fuming after center referee Shemmy Nyondo denied his side a penalty in the dying moments of the game when Patrick Gondwe was brought down in the box just before the 90th minute.
Speaking after the match, Chipepo, who recorded his first draw since taking charge of Nkana, did not hold back his frustration.
“Me, I am not a coward,” he said. “I always criticize the referees when they don’t handle the matches well. Everyone has seen this is not good for Zambia football. It was very bad; I am very angry.”
Nkana wasted no time in taking the lead just five minutes into the match through an own goal by Kabwe Warriors’ Godfrey Binga, who inadvertently beat his own goalkeeper, Mangani Banda. The Warriors leveled the score in the 27th minute when Binga converted a penalty, this time at the right end of the pitch, leaving the match evenly poised at halftime.
However, Chipepo felt that poor officiating in the second half affected his players’ focus and performance.
“Because the referees frustrated my players,” he said. “You all saw what was happening.”
Chipepo on what he told his players
Chipepo’s frustrations with officiating have been mounting. After their weekend 2-0 win over FC MUZA, he disclosed that he instructed his players to avoid engaging with the referee and focus solely on the game during the halftime team talk. This came after four of his players were yellow-carded in the first half, but Nkana responded strongly, scoring two second-half goals to secure the victory.
“We just told the boys not to be frustrated,” he said. “We saw what was happening, the way our friends (match referees) – they were not happy, four of them were given yellow cards. But we told them, ‘Just go there, stop talking to the referee and concentrate.'”
Since taking charge of Nkana after eight rounds of matches, Chipepo has overseen a remarkable transformation. The 13-time Zambian champions were languishing in 16th place with just seven points. Under Chipepo’s leadership, they have played nine games, winning seven, drawing one, and losing one, climbing to third on the log.
Chipepo is pleased with his team’s turnaround and praised the players’ efforts.
“I am very happy with the performance of our players,” he said. “They have really improved, and they have given us a lot of points.”
