Basake Holy Stars head coach Abdulai Gazale has criticised the officiating in his side’s 1-0 defeat to Hearts of Oak, insisting that Martin Karikari’s late winner should have been ruled out for offside.

The game at the University of Ghana Stadium appeared to be heading towards a draw before Martin Karikari struck in the 82nd minute to hand the Phobians all three points.

The young tactician after losing to his former club, admitted that his team struggled in attack but was satisfied with their defensive display for much of the encounter. 

“We didn’t play well, especially in attack, but we defended very well. Unfortunately, we lost concentration in the dying minutes and were punished,” he said.

He also questioned the standard of officiating in the second half, arguing that the match officials should have disallowed the decisive goal because he believed Karikari was in an offside position.

“From my opinion, Hearts goal should have been ruled out for offside because when you look our last line and Martin, he was clearly offside,” Gazale added.

Basake Holy Stars now have four wins and four defeats from their opening eight matches and will return home to welcome Dreams FC next