SHAMVA – Furious Highlanders fans have flooded social media platforms to vent their frustrations and disappointment after a controversial penalty decision in their team’s Chibuku Super Cup quarter-final match versus Simba Bhora on Sunday.
The match took place at Simba Bhora’s fortress Wadzanai Stadium in Shamva.
It was called off later in the second half with the scoreboard still reading 0-0.
This was after referee Cecil Ngwereze awarded Simba a penalty in the 78th minute, claiming Peter Muduhwa had fouled Tinashe Balakasi inside the box.
Consequently, Highlanders players led by their captains Ariel Sibanda and his vice, Peter Muduhwa, went on to dismiss Ngwereze’s dubious call.
They protested, walking off the field leading to an abrupt lengthy halt of the match until the referee ended the game.
Replays of the incident circulated on social media, showing Balakasi was clearly outside the penalty area at the time the foul was committed.
This sparked widespread outrage among Highlanders fans who took to social media with the chant “As’funi Bumbulu” (We don’t tolerate nonsense).
The frustration even got worse when social media was also flooded with the rules and regulations of the 2024 Chibuku Super Cup competition.
These clearly state that: “7.6 If a team refuses to continue to play or leaves the stadium or the field of play before the end of the match, the team will be considered as having lost the match in question.
“The match will be awarded to its opponents on a score line of 3-0 or more if in the case of an abandoned match, the winning team has already reached a higher score at the time the guilty team leaves the field of play.
“The defaulting team shall be banned from participating in the next edition of the Chibuku Super Cup.
“7.7 No appeals may be lodged against these decisions.”
And much to the disappointment of the Bosso fans, they emphasised “As’funi Bumbulu” and “We don’t care that our team will not participate” in the next edition of the Chibuku Super Cup.
Furthermore, they raised serious questions about the quality of officiating in the domestic league, pleading for ‘fairness’ at all costs.
They also demanded that Ngwereze be brought to book by the ZIFA referee’s committee for the dubious officiating.
