Bidco United coach Anthony Akhulia has criticized referee Israel Mpaima, accusing him of favoritism toward AFC Leopards during their Premier League clash on Saturday.
AFC Leopards secured a 1-0 victory over Bidco United, with new signing Sydney Lokale scoring the decisive goal 10 minutes before full-time. This marked Leopards’ first win over Bidco in eight meetings, but Akhulia was unhappy with the officiating, claiming the referee favored Ingwe.
“It felt like the referee had a predetermined outcome in mind,” said a frustrated Akhulia during an interview with Azam TV after the match. “It was as if AFC Leopards had to win. The fouls he awarded were questionable, and even simple body challenges resulted in our players being booked,” he added.
Before this match, Bidco United had been a consistent challenge for Leopards, winning five times and drawing twice in their previous seven encounters. Despite losing their proud record, Akhulia is confident his team will bounce back and trouble AFC Leopards again in the future.
“Congratulations to AFC Leopards; they’ve achieved something they rarely do. But there’s still the second leg, and we’ll beat them 4-0 like we always do,” Akhulia stated, before acknowledging that Leopards had prepared well for the game. “They did their homework and knew our strengths, so they shut us down.”
Bidco United remains winless this season, following two 1-1 draws against Shabana and Nairobi City Stars before the loss to Leopards. Meanwhile, AFC Leopards, under coach Tomas Trucha, have now won two out of their three matches, with one defeat.
