Refs yet to act on Sulom, FAM recommendation

Sulom has expressed concern over National Referees Committee’s (NRC) failure to act on a recommendation it made through FAM to punish three referees who were guilty of incompetence.

Sulom disciplinary committee asked NRC, through FAM, to take a hardline on referees Harris Kajawo and Arnold Maseko for failing to take a firm line in the games between Big Bullets and Blantyre United as well as Epac FC against Civo United respectively.

The other official recommended for punishment was assistant referee Jossam Nkhoma.

Sulom general secretary Williams Banda said it is important that NRC should act on the recommendation to enforce professionalism.

While admitting that his committee has taken time to act on the recommendation, general secretary Chris Kalichelo insisted that the matter will still be looked into.

“We have not yet acted on the recommendation because it is an issue that needs to be critically looked into. We need to find out on what exactly happened and establish whether they [referees] were indeed incompetent in the way they handled the games.

“We also need to check our coffers before we can call for the disciplinary hearing,” Kalichelo said, but he dismissed suggestions that his committee was protecting the referees in question.

FAM general secretary Suzgo Nyirenda said he would follow up the matter with NRC.

In the match involving Bullets and United, Kajawo had to be substituted by the match assessor after the former’s followers protested against officiation. The match had to be stopped for sometime.

Despite Sulom slapping Bullets with a fine, the referee has not yet been disciplined even after the Sulom disciplinary committee established hat he failed to take a firm line.