R8 000 fine for assaulting referee.

Tshandama Try Together will not partake in the MTG/PIB KO Competition in the coming two seasons. The disciplinary committee for the Thulamela Local Football Association reached that decision during its meeting at the league’s offices last Saturday.

Apart from the suspension sanction that was imposed on them, Tshandama were ordered to pay a fine of R8 000 for assaulting a match official.

The incident relating to the case took place during the MTG/PIB KO competition final match at the Makonde Home Defenders grounds on Friday, 16 June. The committee heard that the players, officials and fans of Tshandama ran amok shortly after the final whistle blew and went straight to the lone referee, Mr Tsumbedzo Ndwammbi, accusing him of favouritism.

They referred him to an incident which had happened just before the end of the regulation time, where one of their players ignored the referee’s whistle and shot the ball at goals. Although the goal was scored after the referee had blown the final whistle, they insisted that it was a legitimate goal.

The angry mob assaulted the whistle man with bare hands and various objects. Ndwammbi found a place to hide under a truck that was parked next to the pitch.

Ndwambi was taken to the Donald Fraser Hospital where he received medical treatment before proceeding to the Thohoyandou Police Station where he opened a case of assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm.

Tshandama lost 1-4 to Lukalo Hotspurs through a penalty shoot-out as the scoreboard was still blank at the end of the regulation time.

The committee also imposed a fine of R8 000 on Makonde Youth Development for interrupting the MTG/PIB losers’ final match between Ngwenani Manchester United and Arsenal FC at the same venue. The committee heard that the players for Makonde invaded the pitch before Manchester and Arsenal entered the field of play. They alleged that they were unfairly booted out of the competition, saying they should have been the ones playing in the losers’ final match.

Date:08 July 2017

By: Frank Mavhungu

Frank is a Human Resources Manager at the Department of Public Works in Limpopo. He is the longest serving correspondent of the Mirror, having joined us at the end of 1990.  He mainly writes sports reports and resides at Tsianda Village. In 2004, Frank won the National Castle League Award, an award for the best reporter in the SAB league in South Africa.

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