Africa-Press – Zambia. THE Gabonese referee who gained notoriety in Zambia after a world Cup qualification match against Morocco in 1993 in the aftermath of the Gabon air crash has died at 70.
Zambian fans blamed him for Zambia’s failure to qualify to the 1994 Africa Cup after several decisions they deemed questionable, culminating in street protests in Lusaka and a government delegation traveling to FIFA headquarters in Zurich.
Loss to Morocco unsettles Zambians An emotional run at qualifying for the 1994 World Cup finals has ended in controversy for the Zambian soccer team. Morocco’s 1-0 victory against Zambia last Sunday marked the conclusion of Zambia’s gallant comeback after 18 national team players died in a plane crash last April.
The loss has triggered demands for a rematch and charges of biased refereeing against Jean-Fidel Diramba, a Gabonese referee. Thousands of angry soccer fans staged a 6-mile march Tuesday in protest. Marchers converged on the downtown offices of the Football Association of Zambia, bringing the city center to a standstill for nearly three hours. People left their jobs to join the marchers, as did schoolchildren.
“We are not complaining for nothing,” soccer federation chairman Wilson Gumboh told the crowd estimated at 20,000. “There was a big problem with the refereeing. It was below par, and we will never surrender.” It was the largest demonstration in Lusaka, Zambia, since thousands mourned 18 national team players killed in a plane crash April 28.
They complained Diramba favored Morocco, mainly because of a dispute between Gabon and Zambia over investigations into the air crash off the Gabon coast. Zambia last month accused Gabon of obstructing its investigations into the crash. Eighteen players, five sports officials, five crew and a sports reporter also died when an air force transport plane plunged into the sea shortly after takeoff from Libreville, the capital of Gabon.
Zambia rebuilt a team using a nucleus of four Europe-based veterans who missed the fatal flight. Patrick Kangwa, a spokesman for the Football Association of Zambia, said that FAZ would lodge a complaint with FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, against referee Diramba.
“Gabon ref killed us,” read an accusatory headline in a Zambian newspaper. Fans openly wept when the final whistle was blown.
Zambia needed only to tie to advance to the World Cup finals for the first time. Morocco became one of the three African teams in the 24-team lineup for the finals in the United States.
Morocco advances to the World Cup finals for the third time after qualifying in 1970 and 1986. It joins Cameroon and Nigeria as the African representatives.
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