Michael Olunga Football Academy coach urges referee to review his performance after costly decisions

Michael Olunga Football Academy (MOFA) head coach Charles Bruno has questioned the quality of officiating in his team’s 1–1 draw against Kabati Youth, urging the match referee, Joseph Mudhiga, to review footage of the game and evaluate his own performance.

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“Let him have the clip and analyze for himself how he performed,” said Bruno after the National Super League (NSL) match played on Thursday, 30 October, at Thika Stadium.

MOFA took control early in the contest, taking the lead in the second minute through Kevin Bulimo, who was making his first start of the season.

The forward rose highest to nod home a well-delivered cross, giving the Homabay-based side a deserved advantage.

However, the game descended into controversy in the second half, particularly in the final 20 minutes, following a series of questionable refereeing decisions that, according to Bruno, denied his team maximum points.

In the 69th minute, referee Mudhiga awarded Kabati Youth a controversial penalty after an incident involving Amos Mbogo and Tyson Sifuna inside the MOFA box.

Moments later, the referee courted fresh controversy when he failed to send off Kelvin Mwaura, who had already been cautioned earlier in the match, despite showing him a second yellow card.

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Bruno, while maintaining a measured tone, expressed disappointment with the standard of officiating but stopped short of directly criticizing the referee.

“Honestly, I’m disappointed. I don’t want to talk much because I don’t want to get into trouble. I always avoid criticizing referees because I understand they’re human beings, and sometimes it’s hard,” said the former Gor Mahia defender.

“But if he is listening, I want him to get a clip of the game and analyze himself, how did he handle it?”

The Rising Starlets assistant coach added that such decisions undermine the progress being made by the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) to improve the quality of local competitions.

“The federation is doing a lot to improve the game, and now we need people in charge to handle matches responsibly,” he said.

“For the sake of developing football, officials also need to grow. We’re all learning, coaches, players, and referees. But they must be honest enough to look back and ask, ‘How did I perform?’”

Bruno further stressed that football, much like life, is a process of growth, urging referees to learn from their mistakes.

“Life is about progress. You start somewhere, you learn, and you grow. Referees, just like players, should improve with every game. That’s how we raise the level of our football.”

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Reflecting on the result, Bruno admitted he was dissatisfied with the draw, noting that his side had several opportunities to seal the win before the equalizer.

“We started very well, scoring early, but after that we lost control of the game, and that caused problems,” he explained.

“We were lucky to lead at halftime. In the second half, we changed our approach, and it worked until the penalty incident. Of course, I’m not happy with the draw; we had our chances to finish the game, and failing to do so took the pressure off them.”