ZANACO FC head coach Numba Mumamba criticised the standard of officiating after his side suffered a 2-0 defeat to NAPSA Stars in Tuesday’s MTN Super League Week 32 encounter at Reiz Arena.
NAPSA Stars secured a crucial victory in their fight against relegation thanks to Dickson Chapa’s first-half penalty and Austin Banda’s impressive solo effort shortly after the restart.
The result moved NAPSA Stars up to 14th place on 32 points, boosting their survival hopes heading into the final stages of the campaign.
Speaking after the match, Mumamba expressed frustration with the referee’s decisions, insisting they had a major impact on the outcome.
“Firstly, it’s a very disappointing result on our part, but this has happened because of poor officiating from our referees,” Mumamba said.
“They have helped NAPSA Stars to grab the three points. This is a game that we controlled in the first half, but unfortunately the referee decided to do his own thing and gave them a penalty. It dampened the morale of the team.”
Dickson Chapa converted from the spot in first-half stoppage time before Austin Banda doubled the advantage three minutes into the second half with a well-taken individual goal.
ZANACO’s afternoon worsened as Wilson Chisala and Fredrick Mwimanzi were both sent off, forcing the visitors to finish the match with nine men.
Mumamba admitted the red cards disrupted his tactical plans and contributed to his team’s collapse after the break.
“Coming into the second half, due to lack of concentration, we conceded another goal,” he added.
“We were also given another red card, which spoiled the plan that we had for this game.”
Despite the setback, the former Kansanshi Dynamos coach urged his players to quickly shift focus to their next fixture against Nchanga Rangers.
“For us, we just have to put this game behind us and look forward to the coming game,” he said.
“We have another important game against Nchanga Rangers. All we need is to get down to work and prepare the team so that we can get maximum points.”
Mumamba concluded by calling for fairness and integrity in Zambian football officiating.
“I think this is where integrity comes in. When teams are complaining about such things, we need to have that integrity and make sure football is played in a fair atmosphere.”
