Second division club La Jeunesse earned promotion to the top flight amid a refereeing controversy in a game played at the Remera artificial turf stadium on Saturday. La Jeunesse won the crunch tie against Nyanza 2-1 but this was not enough as both clubs had to settle for the penalty kicks after drawing 3-3 on goal aggregate. Nyanza had defeated La Jeunesse 2-1 in the first leg at Muhanga a week ago and a 4-2 penalty shootout in favor of the Nyamirambo based club won them promotion back to the top flight. Meanwhile, the day’s referee Louis Hakizimana made several hollers. Hakizimana awarded a controversial penalty to La Jeunesse on the 93rd minute of the game after Didier Mudeyi dived in the penalty box. The controversial penalty was awarded minutes after Nyanza had earned a late minute equalizer through an own La Jeunesse goal. The goal which cancelled out La Jeunesse’s first half goal was a turning point for the Southern based club who were seeking top flight football next season. Hakizimana also issued out two yellow cards to Nyanza custodian but failed to send him off with a straight red card after the second yellow. When interviewed about the declining refereeing standards, Ferwafa Chief Executive Officer Jules Kalisa said that poor referees were set to be banned from the league and urged football fans to be patient as the issue will be tackled soon. The second division finals are set for August 9 at a yet to be confirmed stadium when La Jeunesse takes on the winner before UNR and Amagaju who played their semi-final tie yesterday. Ends
