Claims of favouritism persist against Chilisa

CHIPPA LEGODIMO
Correspondent | Wednesday April 28, 2010 00:00

 

In the last two weeks, some clubs have accused Chilisa of pushing an agenda to ensure that Black Peril win the title and gain automatic promotion to the Premier League at all costs. The latest club to complain about the alleged favouritism is title hopeful, Letlapeng. The Ramotswa side has accused Chilisa of underhand tactics after two of its home games were shifted to Tlokweng and Gaborone. As fate would have it, one of the shifted games is against Black Peril. Instead of Ramotswa, Letlapeng will have to play Black Peril at Tlokweng VDC Ground and Eastern Tigers at the SSG Ground in Gaborone.

Letlapeng contend that their game against Eastern Tigers which was abandoned due to rain on Sunday, should be replayed in Ramotswa and not Gaborone. The First Division South committee moved the game to the SSG Ground in Gaborone, which is considered a neutral venue.

Letlapeng argue that they should be allowed to enjoy home ground advantage against Black Peril but the committee decided that the game should be played at the Tlokweng VDC Ground, venue of the first round fixture.

Chilisa said the decision was taken after Letlapeng supporters allegedly attacked match officials for stopping the game against Tigers with 15 minutes remaining.

However, Letlapeng officials allege that Chilisa, who attended the game, claimed that he was attacked at the match, which is why he is justifying the venue switch. Letlapeng coach Enos Mmesi said the rain did not warrant the cancellation of the game. He said there were matches which continued in worse situations, citing their Coca-Cola Cup fixture against Mochudi Centre Chiefs. Mmesi dismissed Chilisa's claims of attack of match officials.

'Chilisa claims he was attacked by our supporters but I did not see that and even if it happened, he was not officiating at that match. Therefore, he cannot give a match report which could be used to make a decision to determine whether playing our remaining games at home is safe or not. Denying us home ground advantage against Black Peril is clearly part of his agenda to help Black Peril,' Mmesi said. Chilisa contends that he did not give any report about the match, let alone ordering or influencing the match officials to stop the game. He said that as the chairman, he has the right to attend any game in the league and observe if things are going well.

'It is not true that the decision to shift the games was made by me alone based on the fact that I was attacked in Ramotswa. Of course their supporters mobbed me after the game because they know I am the chairman but that was after the referee stopped the match. I was outside the ground when that decision (to abandon the match) was made,' he explained. Chilisa said he has a duty to ensure that there is order in the league.

He said referees were mobbed in Ramotswa for making the sensible decision to stop the match as pitch conditions had deteriorated making the surface slippery and dangerous to players. He said it is only fair to both Letlapeng and Tigers that the game be replayed at a neutral venue.