ZPL Blames Referee Human Error for MUZA–Mutondo Disciplinary Incident

The Zambian Premier League (ZPL) has attributed a disciplinary incident during the Week 20 clash between MUZA FC and Mutondo Stars to human error by the match referee.

The league managers have confirmed that the mistake, which involved a wrongly issued red card, was quickly corrected on the field.

In the 68th minute, Mutondo Stars player number 6, Martin Chilufya, received a yellow card for a cautionable offense. Later, in the 80th minute, MUZA FC’s Javier Mum Boho committed an offense classified as Stopping a Promising Attack (SPA).

“The center referee correctly intended to caution the player; however, during the disciplinary process, a case of mistaken identity occurred,” said Christina Zulu, head of communications at the Zambian Premier League. “The referee inadvertently associated the earlier caution issued to Mutondo Stars’ player number 6 with MUZA FC’s player number 6, and as a result, a second yellow card and subsequent red card were mistakenly shown to Javier Mum Boho.”

The Fourth Official immediately identified the error, and after consultation among the officiating team, the referee rescinded the second yellow card and the red card, allowing Mum Boho to continue with a single valid caution.

“The correction was lawful and procedurally sound,” Zulu added, “and ensured that a material technical error did not affect the integrity of the fixture.”

The ZPL reaffirmed its commitment to “upholding fairness, transparency, and the integrity of the competition.”