Chaos erupts during Vhembe SAB League match
Safa Vhembe President Mr Jabulani Ndobe said they were concerned about rising incidents of violence at matches.
LIMPOPO- Soccer players and supporters found themselves in the midst of a brawl shortly after a Safa Vhembe SAB league match ended between Tshambobvu Junior Aces and Maranzhe Hungry Lions last Sunday. The match was played at the Maranzhe Grounds.
The match ended 2-1 in favour of Aces, but Lions players and supporters did not take well to this defeat. Chaos erupted when the players of the two teams got into a brawl, followed by fans storming onto the field to defend their respective team players.
One of the players, Thembuluwo Manyaga, ended up with a broken hand, while two supporters were injured too. They were all treated at the Donald Frazer Hospital and later discharged.
According to Junior Aces coach, Thifhelimbilu Manyaga, things turned nasty shortly after the match. He claims the fighting was instigated by angry Hungry Lions fans, whom he claimed started throwing different objects at Aces players.
“[The Lions] supporters stormed onto the field just as our players were ready to change after the match. According to eyewitnesses, a man who we know the identity of, beat up one of our team players and stabbed two of our supporters with broken bottles. One of them was hit in the face with a stone. They were seriously injured. Other people joined this man and fought with our players and supporters. They also threw stones at the Aces team vehicle,” he said.
One of the Hungry Lions supporters, who spoke anonymously, expressed regret about the incident and apologised to Aces and the league on behalf of his team.
He claimed the perpetrators were not fans of the club. “Those hooligans were not supporters of our team. The persons who started to fight with the Aces players and supporters are from another rival team in our village,” he said.
A criminal case was opened against a suspect at the Thohoyandou Police Station the same day.
Safa Vhembe President Mr Jabulani Ndobe said they were concerned about rising incidents of violence at matches. “As a league, we want players to use soccer as a form of entertainment and to create friendships. We appeal to all teams to behave themselves and to promote friendship as we all love this game very much,” he said.
Ndobe said the home team had the responsibility to ensure that the visiting team and the referee were protected inside and outside the grounds.
