Gotal Questions Refereeing After Mighty Warriors’ Heavy Defeat

Mighty Warriors coach Stella Gotal has questioned the referee’s decisions following Zimbabwe’s humiliating 7-0 defeat to Malawi in the second leg of the women’s Olympic qualifiers at the National Sports Stadium in Harare on Tuesday.

Zimbabwe lost the tie 9-0 on aggregate after suffering a 2-0 defeat in the first leg in Malawi, bringing their hopes of qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games to an end.

The heavy loss marked a disappointing afternoon for the Zimbabwean side, who struggled against their regional rivals as Malawi secured progression to the next round of the qualifying campaign.

Speaking after the match, Gotal expressed concerns over several decisions made by the match officials, suggesting that some key moments had gone against her team and affected the players’ confidence during the contest.

“Usually I don’t speak about the referees but the first goal that they scored, maybe there was a potential free kick for us, and maybe there was a potential goal for us,” Gotal told journalists.

The coach also questioned the decision to disallow a goal scored by Zimbabwe, saying she would need to review the match footage to establish exactly what had happened.

“We even scored a goal and I have to check on the video what really happened because the referee whistled that it’s not a goal so she cancelled the goal,” she said.

Gotal believes the sequence of events had a psychological effect on her players, particularly after they conceded before having a potential opportunity to get back into the match ruled out.

“Somehow those details affect the team because mentally, when you concede a goal then score and the goal is cancelled. So instead of getting into a positive mood, we got affected,” she added.

Her comments place the spotlight on the officiating, although the result also leaves the Mighty Warriors facing difficult questions about their performance after conceding seven goals on home soil.

Zimbabwe had entered the return leg needing to overturn their two-goal deficit from the first meeting in Malawi. However, the Scorchers produced a commanding display to win 7-0 on the day and complete a comprehensive aggregate victory.

The defeat also represents a challenging beginning to Gotal’s tenure, with the coach still searching for her first victory since taking charge of the national team last month.

Gotal and her technical team will now have to assess the team’s shortcomings and work towards improving performances ahead of future international assignments.

While the coach has raised concerns about the referee’s decisions, the Mighty Warriors will need to regroup after their Olympic qualification hopes were ended by a heavy defeat to their neighbours.