A furious Bidco United head coach Anthony Akhulia has lashed out at centre referee Nyabera Libese, claiming he awarded Gor Mahia a contentious penalty during their Kenyan Premier League match at Moi Stadium, Kasarani on Wednesday.
The match descended into chaos moments after Libese pointed to the spot when Francis Oduor sent Sammy Onyango tumbling in the box.
Amid prolonged shoving and heated protests, Nyabera dug in and stuck to his decision. Onyango ultimately stepped up to convert the penalty for Gor's 88th-minute equaliser.
However, Akhulia insists the referee ought to have done better.
“We were clearly robbed in broad daylight when the referee awarded Gor Mahia a dubious penalty just when the match was about to end,” protested Akhulia.
“I think it's only fair that we get the right individuals to officiate our league matches without open bias. Nyabera awarded Wazito a penalty against us and did the same in our match against Posta Rangers,” he claimed.
The final scoreline was a big relief for Gor, who looked short of ideas in the entire drab affair staged on a sultry afternoon.
Jacob Onyango stabbed the ball into the net to fire Bidco United ahead in the 27th minute in the heat of a goalmouth melee.
Ealier on, Bidco had a close shave when Francis Oduor cleared Fredrick Nkatha's goal-bound long-range effort in the 16th minute.
Oduor, however, turned from hero to villain when he, in a frantic move to thwart a dangerous move towards goal, sent Onyango tumbling in the area for the contentious penalty.
Eager to make an impact in the second half, K'Ogalo coach Mark Harrison effected a change in the striking force, introducing Peter Lwasa for off-colour Jules Ulimwengu.
Lwasa's introduction injected some zest into the game as the hosts began to make inroads into the opponent's territory.
Moments into the restart, Gor custodian Gad Mathews had to stretch full length to thwart Waruru's rasping shot taken about 20 yards out.
The results leave Gor Mahia third on the log with 26 points while Bidco are 11th with 17.
Elsewhere, debutants Talanta continued with their dream maiden top-flight appearance with a hard-fought 3-2 win over a resilient Nzoia Sugar side.
Sofapaka's encounter with Kariobangi Sharks ended in a barren draw and so did the clash between Kenya Police and Ulinzi Stars. KCB held Posta Rangers to a one-all draw.
