TRIPPLE B president Edward Kanyangu has blamed poor officiating as one of the reasons behind their relegation from the top-flight league. Sukoluhle Mthethwa Sports Reporter
The Beitbridge side was officially relegated after they were thumped 5-0 by Triangle at Dulibadzimu Stadium on Saturday to mark the end of their campaign in only their first season in the Premier Soccer League (PSL).
Kanyangu spoke to Southern Eye Sport on their experiences in the PSL.
“Relegation is part of football. If there is a league there are always teams which are going to be relegated. Our biggest let-down were match officials. The referee awarded our players six yellow cards and a red card in our game against Triangle. The captain could not even question the referee. Even the match commissioner who was in charge said the referee failed to handle the game,” he said.
Tripple B captain Ephraim Mwinga was given marching orders in the 36th minute for a second bookable offence for foul language on the referee.
He said playing home games in Zvishavane also cost them points.
During the season, Tripple B were made to play Dynamos, Highlanders and Caps United at Mandava Stadium in Zvishavane. They only played 12 home matches.
“The fact that we were made to play some of our homes matches at Mandava also contributed to our poor results. There was also congestion in the PSL because we could play three games in seven days, which was not healthy,” he said.
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“We also had some financial challenges, but that problem is everywhere. The team that will win the championship will get $70 000 at the end of the season, but you will find that a team can use up to about $300 000 so in the end the team will have a loss of $230 000,” he said.
Meanwhile, head coach Peter Manoti has blamed injuries and lack of depth in the team as the reason behind their relegation.
“We had five of our regular players out through injury while Oscar Chove was serving suspension. Injuries had a serious impact on our campaign.
“We had no depth in the team that is why we struggled when some of our players were injured. The other reason is because of finances. You cannot attract big names when you are struggling financially.
“We also travelled a lot. There was a time when we played in Mandava, Hwange and Harare so there was no time to prepare. However, we are working on a recovery plan for next year we want to bounce back,” Manoti said.
Motor Action have also been relegated following their 0-2 defeat to Black Rhinos at Motor Action Sports Club on Saturday.
Tripple B are second from the basement on the log table with 19 points from 26 games while Motor Action are at the bottom with 18 points from the same number of games.
