Bunyore Starlets' coach Daniel Arunga has blamed poor officiating for their 2-1 defeat against Kisumu All Starlets in the Women's Premier League clash at the Moi Stadium, Kisumu on Saturday.
Arunga said their 1-0 half-time lead was deserving but claimed they were denied three clear penalties that would have changed the course of the match in their favour.
"The referee's mind was made up even before kick-off. If fairness had prevailed, we would have had at least three penalties but that never happened," he said.
Bracksides Itambe scored barely a minute into the match to give Bunyore the lead. A late second-half double from Monica Etot (7oth and 78th minutes) ensured the hosts claimed maximum points.
"We have for a long time lamented on poor officiating, especially during our away matches. We are not convinced that we lost under the circumstances," Arunga lamented.
At the same time, WPL recorded a total of six red cards in two matches.
Kayole Starlets' match with Wadadia produced five red cards. Farida Ngadira, Lorna Oduori and Sabeti Impendi received their marching orders for Kayole while Wadadia's duo of Jackline Chesang and Mercy Anyango were sent packing.
Bunyore had Priscah Ambale sent off, a decision that did not go down well with Arunga. "The second yellow card was deserving but the first one wasn't. For Kisumu, any slight contact was a foul," Arunga claimed.
He added: "The loss has added pressure on us but we can't afford to lose further ground in a bid to finish in a respectable position."
