Referee Daniel Bennett gutted by police shooting at stadium
Proceedings at the Varsity Football Cup final took an ugly turn on Thursday evening at the Tshwane University of Technology (Tut) Stadium in Pretoria.
Referee Daniel Bennett. ©Gavin Barker/BackpagePix
It was a local derby between Tut and the University of Pretoria (Tuks) where the hosts, Tut, were trailing 2-0 going into the final 10 minutes of the game.
Out of frustration and the difficulty to stomach the defeat, Tut supporters began to throw missiles onto the field while some were aimed at the visiting supporters, who retaliated in similar fashion.
Security personnel attempted to calm down the situation but their efforts were unsuccessful. The chaos then escalated when a section of the crowed tried to force their way onto the pitch, tearing down the fence and destroying advertising boards.
The South African Police Service were then called upon and they wasted no time as they fired rubber bullets in an attempt to disperse the unruly crowd. Although there was no number confirmed, Phakaaathi understands that there were a few injured in the shoot-out.
READ: Shonga hopes to emulate Zambian legends
Fifa referee Daniel Bennett halted the game with just over six minutes remaining on the clock, and according to the rules of the tournament, if the match is suspended in the second-half due to whatever reason, the leading team are declared winners.
“It doesn’t look good because these guys are in university and they are the future leaders of our country,” Bennett told Phakaaathi.
“They are all studying either economics or whatever they are doing. They are going to be the leaders in 20 to 30 years’ time. They need to be role models to other kids, they can’t just throw the missiles and lose their temper just because you lost a football match.”
In his 25-year-long career as a referee, Bennett says he has seen it all, but has never seen police opening fire towards supporters.
“There has been some situations where the crowd got pretty hectic, especially in Africa, but they never invaded the pitch, it’s quite civil but with this one there were shots fired. This was a different story for me.”
Tut were looking to successfully defend the title, while Tuks’ victory saw them walk away with their third title in four years.
