Dembare blame referees

DYNAMOS coach Lloyd Mutasa has blamed poor officiating for his team's defeat at the hands of championship rivals FC Platinum in a Castle Lager Premiership battle at Mandava yesterday.

"Yeah, we lost the game, but I think we have always said it before that you know when you play football you will be satisfied if you lose a game in which your youngsters didn't play well,'' he said.

"You look at the first half, the way my boys were frustrated and you look at the yellow cards that were awarded to us and you look at the same infringements by the opposition and not even a single card was going their way.

"I wouldn't want to believe that the playing ground was even. Normally I don't want to talk much about things that I don't have control over but football in general has to be even. You look at the infringements, probably the official saw it otherwise, but I wasn't happy with the way the match was handled." Bulawayo referee Thulani Ncube was the man in charge of the match.

"They have won but let's see how it goes,'' said Mutasa.

"I want to see their position at the end of the season and I want to see where I am going to be by the end of the league.

"I will go back to the drawing board.''

Mutasa showed he was really hurt by the defeat and struggled to control his emotions as he talked to journalists after the match.

DeMbare have been doing well of late and have climbed up the Premiership table igniting expectations among their fans that the Glamour Boys could win the league championship again this year.

After a slow start to the season, Dynamos have found their form and have been the in-form team in the league with Mutasa winning the last Coach of the Month award.

Their fans have coined the phrase, "nyika yese irikufara'', to describe the mood, in large parts of the country where there are a lot of DeMbare supporters, as the team was climbing up the table.

But yesterday their big rivals, Highlanders, feasted on their defeat in Zvishavane yesterday by mocking the Glamour Boys on one of their social media pages.

The message, "nyika yese irikufara'', accompanied by the result of the match at Mandava, was posted on one of the Bosso social media sites shortly after the referee blew to end the game in Zvishavane.

Highlanders and Dynamos share an intense rivalry and they are not only the country's two biggest football clubs but they are also the most successful teams in Zimbabwe.

Bosso were not in action yesterday as they take on Bulawayo City in a derby at Barbourfields today.

Black Rhinos, who have surprised many with their remarkable campaign this season, have a home showdown against Ngezi Platinum at Morris Depot while Triangle host a resurgent Chapungu at Gibbo.