By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
The Coach of RSLAF FC, Tito Cole, has said they intended to lodge a formal complaint against Abdul Bangura, the referee who oversaw their match on Wednesday against FC Johansen.
Bangura awarded a controversial penalty to FC Johansen in the 80th minute which was converted by Abdul Kamara. Minutes later RSLAF were denied what they claim was a penalty on the other end of the pitch. Instead they were given a free kick.
RSLAF lost the match 1-0.
“We are going to do that (complaint). Because this is open, the manner in which they gave the penalty. Our goalkeeper collected the ball without touching the player. If they say its penalty, then we had the same penalty,” Cole said.
The referee’s decision to award RSLAF a free kick, instead of a penalty, provoked outrage from the RSLAF supporters, players and club officials. Following the Bangura’s decision, fans threw missiles at Foday Kallon, one of the assistant referees.
Red Cross officials rushed to treat Kallon and he was replaced by Humu Marah, the Reserved Referee.
Cole blamed the behavior of their fans on the referee’s decision. He said after Wednesday’s match the team would consider taking their home games back to the Northern city of Makeni.
RSLAF played part of the first half of last season in Makeni.
“It is really heart rendering to see your team play well and get frustrated by the referee like this. We will try to talk to the executive board and maybe try to take back Makeni as our home ground.”
As of Thursday, RSLAF were 13th on the table. The club has dropped 17 points in their first 7 fixtures of the season.
Wednesday’s defeat is their fifth of the season.
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