Okumbi attributes Afcon U20 ticket miss to officiating

The national under- 20 football team head coach Stanley Okumbi has attributed their 3-1 defeat to Uganda’s Hoppos to referees’ calls, noting that it denied them the opportunity to qualify for the  AfricaU-20 Cup of Nations due in Mauritania from February 14 to March 4 2021.

“We had planned well to win the match against Uganda, but if you look carefully it seems there was some under the carpet plans to make sure we don’t get to the final. In our last group match the referee was Ugandan and it’s like he was told our midfielder Simon Omondi was one card away from suspension and he gave him the card,” he lamented.

“Just look here, we are facing Uganda in our next game then we are given a Ugandan referee in our last group match. That was intentional especially going by what I saw in our semi.”

“I cannot say that the ones who came in played badly but its high time our boys rose to the occasion when need be. The problem in Kenya we like counting chances that we make in matches but we don’t convert the chances which has to change,” said Okumbi.

However, despite their final group game defeat, Okumbi is confident his boys will earn a third place finish in the competition.

Benson Omalla, Kevinton Machika na Enoch Wanyama were well marked by Uganda’s defence which ensured they did not trouble their keeper but Okumbi says this should not be an excuse.

“Omalla was not marked that much, Machika got two clear chances which he lost, Wanyama rose up  in the second half, but all in all I had told my boys of the different routes that we were to use incase our big men are tightly marke,” concluded Okumbi.

On Wednesday, Tanzania will face Uganda in the final after beating South Sudan 1-0 in the second semi-final yesterday at Black Rhino Academy in Arusha.