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Yanga SC vs Tanzania Prisons: Why did TFF hire 'blind' referee, asks Asukilie
Wananchi controversially eliminated the administrative side from the competition and the captain is still angry with the officials
Tanzania Prisons captain Benjamin Asukile is unhappy about what he describes as poor officiating and favouritism in the 1-0 loss to Yanga SC in the FA Cup.
In the game played at the Nelson Mandela Stadium on Friday, Yacouba Songne was the hero for Timu ya Wananchi as his 55th-minute goal secured the quarter-final berth for his side.
However, the administrative charges were denied a massive chance to equalize as the referee ignored calls for a penalty even after it was obvious Lamine Moro had fouled Jeremia Juma in the danger zone.
The skipper has blatantly stated the referee was not fair on the game and it affected his team.
"It is not that we had a bad game, we struggled to get our fluency in the game because [Yanga] had also added another person on the pitch, referee," Asukile told reporters after the match.
"So if your opponent has the referee on his side, you cannot beat him. But in terms of playing, we were the best side.
"The referee denied us a penalty and when we inquired, he said he did not see the incident. So why should [Tanzania Football Federation] give responsibilities to blind referees who cannot see game-changing incidents?"
Prior to Friday's game, the two teams had met twice in the Tanzania Mainland League and both rounds had ended 1-1.
In another game played on Friday, Mwadui also made it to the last eight after defeating Coastal Union 2-0 at Mwadui Complex.
Rashid Roshwa opened the scoring for the hosts in the 14th minute when he capitalized on poor defending at the back. Wallace Kiango had played a good ball from the right flank but the clearance went as far as the forward, who did not hesitate to convert.
The provider became the scorer 10 minutes later, this time around beating his marker with pace before shooting past the custodian.
Simba SC are the defending champions after beating Namungo FC in last season's final 2-0.
However, the latter managed to play in the Caf Confederation Cup considering the fact that Wekundu wa Msimbazi had already qualified for the Caf Champions League by virtue of winning the league.
