Malawi coach Cecilia Mtukule claims that umpires robbed her team in the defeat against South Africa

Despite the Young Queens of Malawi failing to the Spar Baby Proteas with a score of 44-19 in the top-of-the-table clash, Mthukule vehemently expressed her frustration, accusing the umpires of bias towards the host nation.

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Her dissatisfaction was evident as she instructed her players not to shake hands with the Baby Proteas and declined to shake hands with the winning coach, Precious Mthembu.

''The game was good, but we have seen the umpiring - they are favouring too much, this is not fair,'' said Mthukule.

Mthukule claims that most decisions favoured South Africa, a sentiment she believes was evident to all observers.

She contends that the final score of 44-19 does not accurately portray the true outcome of the match.

''The umpiring itself, the process itself was bad, we even went to complain. This is not good - we have to change and be fair,'' added Mthukule.

Although she acknowledges that the Baby Proteas have a strong team, she maintains that the margin could have been narrower, avoiding a loss by 27 points.

South Africa and Malawi might face off in the final on Saturday, given their positions at the top of the leaderboard.

Mtukule hopes for a fair showdown between the two teams in their upcoming match.

Amid controversy, Coach Precious Mthembu of the Baby Proteas refuted allegations of favouritism and assured her to talk with her Malawian counterpart once tensions have eased.

She emphasized that discouraging players from shaking hands goes against the sportsmanship ethos they aim to uphold in netball.