Sport

Football club booted out tourney

Ngove Maspala FC has been suspended to participate in the Zama-Zama tournament for the next five years. This comes after Ngove Maspala FC lost their match in the final of the tournament in the last few seconds of the match in December last year against Nkomo Phunya FC in Homu village.

The match between the two teams started off with Ngove Maspala FC leading 1-0 against Nkomo Phunya FC in the first half. The lead went on in the second half up until the last minutes of the game when Phunya FC equalised through a penalty shot. This led to chaos on the soccer field as Ngove Maspala FC and their supporters refused to recognise the goal, claiming the match time had elapsed when the penalty was taken.

The tournament organisers had to intervene as the situation spiraled out of control. One of the supporters went onto the field and punched the referee several times before he ran off at the sound of a gunshot. Security personnel fired a shot in the air trying to disperse the crowd as they ran to rescue the referee.

Also read: Limpopo men’s netball team takes bronze

The match was called off, and both teams were summoned for a disciplinary hearing held in the first week of January at Xilumani Hotel. At the hearing, Ngove Maspala FC was found guilty of causing the abandonment of the final match of the tournament against Nkomo Phunya FC and declared the losers of the tournament. They were then suspended from participating in the tournament for five years and also fined R20 000, half of which is suspended.

Furthermore, the team had to pay R3000 to cover the medical expenses of the assaulted match official. There were also some individuals who were permanently banned from participating due to their unruly behaviour during the tournament. Nkomo Phunya FC was awarded the winning trophy along with R50 000 in prize money.

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Anwen Mojela

Anwen Mojela is a journalist at the Letaba Herald. She graduated with an Advanced Diploma in Journalism at the Tshwane University of Technology. Including an internship and freelancing, Anwen has four years’ experience in the field and has been a permanent name in the Herald for nearly three years. Anwen’s career highlights include a water corruption investigative story when she was an intern and delving into wildlife and nature conservation. “I became a journalist mainly to be the voice of the voiceless, especially working for a community newspaper. Helping with the bit that I can, makes choosing journalism worth it.

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