Africa-Press – Rwanda. Mukura Victory Sports have lodged a formal complaint with the Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) following what they described as controversial refereeing in their 2–1 league defeat to Rayon Sports on Sunday at Kigali Pele Stadium.
Centre referee Samuel Uwikunda was at the heart of the controversy after disallowing what would have been Mukura’s equaliser in the 84th minute. Boateng Mensah had headed home from a corner, but Uwikunda ruled out the goal, judging that Samuel Pimpong had obstructed goalkeeper Olivier Kwizera in the build-up.
Pimpong was subsequently booked for protesting the decision.
The incident came just three minutes after Uwikunda waved away Mukura’s penalty appeal when Rayon Sports defender Obed Uwumukiza appeared to handle Elie Tatou Iradukunda’s cross inside the penalty area.
“I don’t like to talk about referees, but the referee’s influence cost us this game. The header we scored came from a corner — if you look at the footage, you can see it was a goal,” head coach Canisius Nshimiyimana said in a post-match interview.
“There was also a handball by a Rayon Sports defender in the final minutes, which is clear in the footage, but he (Uwikunda) ignored it. We lost the points and now we have to prepare for the next game.”
Both decisions sparked anger among Mukura players, coaches and travelling fans, prompting the club to file an official complaint with FERWAFA requesting an investigation.
“We know it will not change anything, but we need to speak the truth. The person in charge of the game must be held accountable,” Mukura spokesperson Edmond Gatera told Times Sport.
Mukura become the second club in 72 hours to raise concerns about Uwikunda’s officiating. Al Merrikh also questioned his refereeing in their match against Al Hilal despite winning the Omdurman derby 2-1.
For More News And Analysis About Rwanda Follow Africa-Press
