Western Stima head coach Salim Babu has blamed their defeat against Kakamega Homeboyz over the weekend to poor officiating, noting that the vice is slowly hampering the growth of local football.
The loss threw Stima at the risk of being dropped again to the second tier as they are six points above safety. Stima were promoted to the top flight last year.
“I thought this kind of referees no longer exists in the Kenyan football. I’m very bitter about the officiating today,” he said. Despite his side giving a good account of themselves in the first half, Stima were punished by Allan Wanga and Maxwell Ravel who netted in the second half and their hopes of staging a comeback were dashed after one of their players was sent off.
“We were well prepared for this match and our game plan was working well until the soft red card and penalty that changed everything. It’s disappointing for the players and our fans who travelled all the way to support us.
“We work very hard to prepare the team with anticipation of getting something out our hard work but a few individuals come in and spoil the good work. The referees should remain professional and always make fair decisions,” he added.
The tactician also blamed the Football Kenya Federation for not taking any action against officials who he alleged are compromised and flaw the refereeing ethics.
“FKF and Kenya premier league limited (KPL) should take stern action against errant officials who come in the match with a fixed mind.”
The tension was very high at Bukhungu stadium on Sunday and at the end of the match, the referees had to be escorted by the police to the dressing room.
The lake based KPL outfit will be looking out for immediate and swift response against Zoo Kericho in their next match and Babu has assured fans of positive results in the remaining matches. The power men who began the season firing from all corners have faded to 13th on the table with 31 points.
