COSAFA U-20: Pofera injures himself in pitchside drama
- Peter Kanjere
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Malawi under-20 boys’ national football team coach, Millias Pofera, is still counting the cost of his team’s 3-0 loss to South Africa at the COSAFA Youth Championship in Namibia on Sunday. The Young Flames mentor returned to Lilongwe with a swollen left arm on Monday following his pitch-side drama.
The controversial trainer was seen throwing himself down then punching the ground several times in a fit of rage over referee Owen Manenda’s officiation at UNAM Stadium in Windhoek on Sunday.
Speaking to Malawi's Times TV reporter Peter Fote after the competition being held under Regional 5 Games, Pofera insisted that he was caught up in the heat of the game.
“I really don’t know what happened. I just woke up with a swollen arm,” the coach said.
Asked if he did not remember that he had punched the ground so hard at the stadium the previous day, the coach replied: “It was one of those things where you get caught up in the emotions of the game.”
During a post-match conference on Sunday, Pofera suggested that the referee favoured Amajita in some of the decisions during the match.
“This is a very good development for the competition for the young kids, but we have to work on our officiation. Our number 10 [Mwisho Mhango] was fouled but the referee just ignored it. Each team must be treated equally. If we are treating other teams in a separate way as if they are special then that is very bad, but I accept the result and move on,” he told the press.
Two days earlier after beating Zambia 2-1 in the semifinal, the Young Flames mentor told reporters that referees are human beings, and their mistakes ought to be understood.
Overall, the Malawi coach said he was happy with his charges’ performance after they won two games, beating Zimbabwe and Zambia by 2-1 margins in between a 1-1 draw with Angola before losing to South Africa.
It was the second time in 22 years that Malawi reached the final of the under-20 competition.
