Dzumeri soccer tournaments put on hold

Last week, the police and SANDF descended on a soccer field during a hotly contested semi-final tournament tie in Dzumeri.

Dzumeri Soccer Tournament organiser, Steven Mkhari, expressed his disappointment in the way their tournament, which caters for several teams in the Mopani district, was halted by the SAPS and SANDF last week.

He said it could have been handled better and without destruction.

Speaking to the Herald, Mkhari said infrastructure was damaged during the whole incident which saw law enforcement vehicles enter the field during a semi-final tie.

“A van just drove onto the field during the match, followed by SANDF vehicles and everyone scattered and ran in different directions. They went to the sound station we use for commentary and confiscated it.

“Most of our tournaments also have informal traders who sell food and drinks to spectators to support themselves, they also had their goods confiscated and cooler boxes were taken from spectators.”

Also read Phalaborwa: Large crowds gather at soccer tournament

He said the goal posts were broken after being run over by a big nyala.

“This was unnecessary as we could have just stopped the match and announced the suspension of the tournament without the destruction that was done.

“We are very disappointed by the damage to the infrastructure as this is our way of moving the youth away from bad habits and to hone their skills in soccer. It was also boosting our local economy.”

He admitted that the number of people in attendance was over the limit due to the popularity of the teams that were playing on the day.

He said they could not control the numbers but advised people to social distance and wear their masks.

“We are planning to meet with the authorities regarding the incident to find out when we can start planning to play again.

“We are just not sure what will be done regarding the damage to the field and infrastructure.”

The Greater Giyani Municipality also issued a statement stating that soccer tournaments were super spreader events and they would be clamping down on such to avoid a spike in the numbers as more people attend matches and behaviour to ensure minimising the spread of the virus.

Mkhari said any scheduled tournament matches were suspended indefinitely and all teams were notified of the suspension of matches.

Soccer tournaments and funeral services were identified by the Mopani Covid-19 Command Council as super spreader events of the virus and stricter compliance monitoring in collaboration with law enforcement authorities was needed in some areas that were not adhering.