Soccer players and supporters got themselves in the middle of an ugly brawl, shortly after a Safa Vhembe SAB league match ended between Tshambobvu Junior Aces and Maranzhe Hungry Lions on Sunday. The match was played at the Maranzhe Grounds.
The match ended 2-1 in favour of Aces, but apparently the Lions did not take the defeat so well. Chaos erupted when a fight broke out between players of the two teams and fans stormed onto the field to defend their respective team players.
One of the players, Thembuluwo Manyaga, ended up with a broken hand, while two supporters, Fhulufhelo Mukwevho (female) and Rofhiwa Mudau, were injured as well. They were all treated at the Donald Frazer Hospital and later discharged.
According to the coach of the Junior Aces, Mr Thifhelimbilu Manyaga, things turned nasty right after the match. He claims that the fighting was instigated by angry fans of the Hungry Lions, who 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 certain known man beat 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's vehicle," he said.
One of the Hungry Lions supporters, who spoke anonymously, expressed regret about the incident and apologised to the Aces and the league on behalf of his team. He claimed that 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 the suspect (who started the fight) that same day at the Thohoyandou Police Station.
Safa Vhembe President Mr Jabulani Ndobe said they were concerned about the incident. "As a league, we want players to use soccer as another form of entertainment and to create friendships with each other. We appeal to all teams to behave themselves and to promote friendship as it is our game," he said.
Ndobe said the home team had the responsibility to make sure that the visiting team and the referee were protected inside and outside the grounds.