NSL: Owoko slams officiating in Vihiga Bullets, Nairobi United draw

Vihiga Bullets head coach George Owoko has called to task the Football Kenya Federation referees' appointing committee for what he terms as favouritism in the selection of match officials that be believes has lowered the standards of officiating in the National Super League.

Owoko was speaking after Bullets' weekend encounter with Nairobi United at Kasarani Annex on Saturday in a match that saw the Naibois come from behind to secure a point against a rejuvenated Vihiga side in a game that was overshadowed by some controversial calls from the center referee.

Owoko, who spearheaded the league debutants in the third tier before leaving for MOFA, expressed satisfaction with Paul Okatwa’s charges display in the game but was left more frustrated with the officiating taking the moment to curse the selection of the same official for all Nairobi United matches.

“The boys played as per my instructions, and I have been working on defense to at least reduce the goals we have been shipping in previously, but now you see some improvement in the team, there’s progress,” he started.

“What I can request from the federation since they are running the tournament well is that whoever is appointing match officials should try to be considerate, because from my experience, there’s no way a single person can be officiating all Nairobi United home matches. Against Mulembe, he was here, and they really struggled until he gave them a penalty that won them the match. Even today, I conceded because he was giving them most of the duels. He has officiated well, though human error is to blame, the appointing committee should make sure he balances and rotates them in all matches,” he offered.

National Super League: Talking points from the weekend’s action

The well-traveled gaffer despised the fact that his club was struggling and that it could throw them into relegation battles, firmly suggesting that they had started stabilizing as a unit and would remain strongly in the promotion chase.

“We are a little bit stabilizing as a team; we were lacking motivation in the club, but with the coming of new partners, we can dream again, and looking at my team, I went for young players who need time to adapt,” he concluded.

On his hand, Nairobi United coach Okatwa expressed confidence in his charges to end the recent run of draws and embark on a winning spree; however, he was lifted by the display his side showed more so after going a goal down.

Despite the draw, the result has seen United climb from eighth position to seventh on 13 points in the National Super League standings.

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