Despite having no intermittent Airtel network at Bingu National Stadium, the match between Lilongwe based giants, Silver Strikers and defending champions of Zamadolo, Mighty Mukuru Wanderers ended prematurely on Saturday afternoon.
Controversy erupted in the dying minutes of Airtel Top 8 Cup first leg between Bankers and Nomads following a former’s second controversial goal which centre referee Godfrey Nkhakananga awarded to them.
With the encounter at one-all, Nkhakananga whistled for handball and within five seconds, he whistled again after Stain Davie had put in the net despite Nomads players being stationary waiting for the bankers to take the free kick just centimetres away from the penalty area.
Wanderers’ players and technical panel officials were seen descending to the referee seeking explanations as to what really happened.
The match stopped for close to 10 minutes with Wanderers refusing to start the play at the centre which forced Nkhakananga to end the match few seconds after discussing with captains from both sides.
In a short statement, Football Association of Malawi (FAM) who are organisers of the tournament, said they are waiting for the reports from all stakeholders involved before giving the public full account as to what happened.
“The match between Silver Strikers and Mighty Mukuru Wanderers was abandoned in the added minutes. We will give you final verdict once we receive full reports from all the key stakeholders,”reads the statement posted on the country’s football mother body official Facebook page.
