Ekhaya FC won 4-1 against MMF Marine in the Thumbs-up Premier Division Southern Region League in Malawi on Monday, October 21, 2024, but that didn’t sit well with the players and fans of the military-owned MMF Marine team.
After the game at the Mpira Stadium in Blantyre, soldiers of Monkey Bay who were dissatisfied and alleged that the match officials were biased on the day, became aggressive and chased the officiating team.
They hunted the referees down as if they were trying to nab thieves or attempting to cage wild animals.
The unprofessional, barbaric, and outright disgraceful act by the military men was filmed.
Referees brutalized by mob
In the video circulating on social media, the center referee and his two assistants are captured fleeing from the inner perimeter of the pitch as men dressed in black apparel go after them.
Two of the officiating team managed to exit the inner perimeter first with one seen entering what looked like a tunnel leading outside the stadium.
The other, however, was unfortunate as the men ganged up on him and attacked him before he managed to also escape into the same tunnel.
The third official ran in the other direction as he attempted to flee from the mob.
Another person in black ran in his direction from the inner perimeter but seemed to be trying to ward off the mob.
An observer quoted by local website faceofmalawi.com said: “This is very bad for our football!”
According to the website, there are growing concerns over the lack of discipline in army teams, which is ruining football in the East African state.
Another team, MAFCO FC, and three players were punished by the Super League of Malawi for misconduct a few days ago.