Shabana head coach Peter Okidi said the officiating in Sunday’s Mozzart Bet Cup loss to Kakamega Homeboyz was the “worst I have seen since I started coaching in the Kenya Premier League.”Okidi was left frustrated after center referee Isaac Hamisi controversially disallowed a late Shabana equalizer in their 1-0 defeat, which meant they exited the tournament at the Round of 16.Follow our WhatsApp channel for more newsKakamega Homeboyz overcome road accident scare to eliminate Shabana out of Mozzart Bet CupTrailing to a first-half goal from Moses Mudavadi, Shabana amped the pressure in the second period, and thought they had found the net deep in stoppage time, when Dennis Okoth guided home a bouncing cross from Douglas Mokaya, only for the strike to be chalked off for a foul in the build-up.From the replays, Hamisi spotted a shove on Homeboyz defender Brian Eshihanda just outside the box as the cross was whipped in, even whistling the play down before Okoth rippled the net.Lessons picked, onto the next game. #SportPesaNaShabana pic.twitter.com/OpucJm5iCl— Shabana Fc Kenya (@Shabanafckenya) April 13, 2025 The decision seemed to infuriate the aggrieved players and their fans, who protested the decision, causing a brief stoppage before action resumed way past 100 minutes.Asked about the game-changing decision, Okidi said: “We would be playing penalties right now. The referee handed them [Homeboyz] the win, and I think should if they win, he will be going with them to CAF.“I am not afraid to say that this level of officiating is the reason our levels are dropping. When the officials give away such easy fouls, then even our national team can’t go further in competitions because they are used to getting favorable calls.“Why is the referee calling that? Because maybe he has something behind his mind.”EXCLUSIVE: Kenya U20 unveil 25-man squad for AFCON showdownIn an apparent barrage of match officials, Okidi thought all the gains made by his side in the second half had been undone by their strange decisions.“He [Hamisi] had reffed well until the final minutes, when we had got back to the game,” Okidi said. “Football is a game of moments, and when we got back into the game, he instead rescued them.”He continued: “I feel for those referees because if they have ambitions to get a FIFA badge, they have to work hard. Since I started coaching in the KPL, I think this is the worst officiating I have seen.”Okidi’s comments come just days after Gor Mahia coach admitted to being “suspicious” about Kenyan referees after noticing tendencies that point to them being against his side.Gor Mahia head coach reveals ‘suspicion’ against Kenyan referees after red cardHaving dropped out of the cup, Okidi urged his team to shift their focus to the league.“We’ve lost, we have accepted that, and that’s why we came back to finish the game,” he said. “Our focus is now on the next game [against Talanta] because the league is still open. We will keep fighting and see what comes up.”##NAJAVA_MECA_8850145##
