Nzoia Sugar FC head coach Charles Odera has blamed poor officiating and turf for his side’s draw against Nairobi United in round Two of the National Super League (NSL).
Odera, while welcoming the one point earned away from home in the goalless draw, wasn’t impressed with how his team struggled to adapt to the demands of the artificial turf.
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“I’m grateful for the one point away, but my players struggled, especially since the majority have never played on turf,” Odera said. “They struggled in the first half, with many constantly slipping and falling. We also didn’t take our chances early on, which hurt us.”
Odera didn’t stop with the turf and went ahead to question some decisions by the match day referees, particularly in the second half where he feels they were denied a clear penalty.
“In the second half, we didn’t create a lot of chances except for one, where I feel we were denied a clear penalty. The opponent didn’t get the ball but caught my player’s leg. We even had to substitute him after that. In my opinion, it was either a yellow card, a penalty, or even a red card in some cases,” he remarked.
Despite the frustrations, Odera remained philosophical, accepting that such situations are part of the game. “The referee didn’t even caution the player after the incident, but that’s part of football,” he concluded.
With two draws in their opening games, Nzoia Sugar will be eager to secure their first win at home when they host APS Bomet a game that Coach Odera promises a win for the fans
“We play APS next and that’s a must-win to make our fans happy, we will be going for the points” he confidently said.
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