Football fans furious after match cancelled
A packed stadium of soccer fans turned on the organisers and demanded their money back after they were denied a much-anticipated match between Premier Soccer League (PSL) and National First Division (NFD) teams.
The Black Leopards, from the PSL, and Royal Eagles, from NFD, were invited to face the two Selati Cup finalists in the special Nkomazi Tournament at KaMhlushwa Stadium on Saturday.
Two-time Selati Cup champs, Boschfontein FC were up first and faced the Black Leopards. Although both teams were energentic, the PSL team proved tough to beat and won 2-1.
Langeloop Blue Crane were dominated by the Royal Eagles, until the former was awarded a penalty. Although the Selati Cup runners-up were persistent and hoped to equalise, the final whistle locked in a score of 2-1 in favour of the NFD team.
While the winners of the first two matches rested, Nkomazi Masters played against Macadamia SANDF in a friendly match. It ended up being a one-goal draw after SANDF managed to score a goal in the last five minutes of the game.
By this time, the stadium started to fill up as fans were looking forward to an action-packed final match.
This excitement was not to last, as Black Leopards left the stadium in protest of perceived corruption before the start of the finals. The team thought they were giving back to the community and were surprised when they heard from fans that tickets were being sold for the event.
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They felt that there was something fishy going on so decided to pack up and hit the road back to Swaziland for league preparation. After finding out what had happened, the Royal Eagles also left.
According to the tournament organiser and Blue Crane coach, Thokozane Mkhatshwa, the fact that the Black Leopards left came as a surprise to him. He stated that they did not tell him that something was wrong and that they were leaving.
There was a “heated conversation” between the two parties after their first match with regards to food. He directed them to the lodge where they were staying and was later shocked to see their bus heading off before the start of the final match.
Once the fans realised what had happened, the majority blocked the gates and demanded their money back. They tried to manhandle Mkhatshwa and chanted their demand. Mkhatshwa had to be safely escorted out of the stadium.
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A concerned fan from Phiva, Joseph Lamula, told Corridor Gazette that a similar incident took place two years ago, which involved PSL team Platinum Stars. He stated that there should be no corruption in tournaments such as these, as it ruins Nkomazi’s reputation and causes teams not to come back.
