'Shameful' officiating in Simba, Mashujaa FC tie sparks outrage in Tanzania premier league

The Referees Committee of the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has since confirmed that it has launched investigations into the officiating team, amid allegations that one of the match officials is a registered member of Simba SC.

Chairman of the Referees Committee, Mr Nassor Hamduni, told Mwanaspoti that disciplinary and regulatory reviews are underway following widespread public concern.

Simba scored both goals from the penalty spot, with Cameroonian striker Leonel Ateba converting twice. 

The second penalty—awarded in the 90+19th minute during a highly unusual 15 minutes of added time—sparked particular outrage. 

Referee Kefa Kayombo also issued a second yellow card to Mashujaa’s goalkeeper, Patrick Munthary, resulting in a red card that left the visitors a man down.

The decisions have since sparked intense debate across social media and the wider football community, with many questioning the integrity of officiating in the country’s top-flight league.

“This is not the first time we’ve seen such incidents this season,” said a former Taifa Stars and Premier League star who requested anonymity. “We are told the league is ranked fourth in Africa by the IFFHS, but decisions like these erode its credibility.”

The veteran went on to criticise what he described as “consistent favouritism” towards a handful of clubs. 

“You cannot have a respectable league when referees openly show bias and the authorities remain silent. This is setting us back after years of hard work to rebuild the game.”

Former TFF Secretary General, Mr Angetile Osiah, echoed those sentiments, calling on the TFF and the Premier League Board (TPLB) to urgently step in and restore confidence in the league.

“We like to boast that our league is among the best in Africa, but if we are being honest, it’s like wearing a designer suit with dirty underclothes,” said Mr Osiah.

“The silence from our football leadership is not helping. The TFF president and TPLB officials need to lead from the front.”

He added that current sanctions issued by the League Committee are insufficient and called for swift and firm action from the top leadership.

Also weighing in was former international forward Zamoyoni Mogella, popularly known as "Golden Boy", who said football authorities must stop treating Simba and Yanga with kid gloves.

“We fear confronting issues when they involve big clubs. Had a smaller team refused to play, the punishment would have been immediate. But now it’s all silence and avoidance,” Mogella said.

Another ex-Taifa Stars forward, Edibily Lunyamila, urged the TPLB to take bold decisions for the remainder of the season, arguing that some clubs appear to be receiving preferential treatment.

“We’ve reached a point where it seems only Simba and Yanga have the right to win. Referees are repeating mistakes and still officiating matches involving the same teams. This is unacceptable,” Lunyamila said.

He added, half-jokingly, that only referee Ahmed Arajiga should be allowed to handle all remaining matches if others continue to fall short of professional standards.

On social media, fans expressed frustration over what they described as a pattern of decisions benefitting certain clubs. 

Among incidents cited were a handball goal scored by Yanga’s Ibrahim Bacca against Tanzania Prisons, a controversial penalty in Namungo’s tie with Dodoma Jiji, and three penalties awarded to Simba in their 3–0 win over Namungo—one of which followed a red card to defender Derrick Mukombozi that was later overturned.

Efforts to reach TFF and TPLB officials for comment were unsuccessful by press time. 

However, Mr Hamduni reiterated that referees are prohibited by regulations from being members of any club, and assured that investigations into the officiating team from Friday’s match were ongoing.