ZIMBABWE – A local referee was assaulted by fans during a ZIFA Southern Region Division One match in Binga on Saturday.
The angry Binga United fans savaged the match official, accusing him of awarding a dubious penalty to ZPC Hwange. The hosts were leading 2-1 when the incident occurred.
A video of the referee receiving blows from the mob has gone viral on social media platforms.
Southern Region League chairman Andrew Tapela condemned the behaviour of Binga United fans, describing it as an embarrassment to local football. Said Tapela”
The league, as expected, would institute an inquiry into the matter and sanction the guilty party.
For now, it is still an alleged case of violence against a match official, we (ZIFA Southern Region) will call all the parties concerned and deal with the case accordingly.
Let me hasten to say that as a region, we condemn such behaviour in the strongest terms.
We are a law-abiding football entity and as such we expect clubs and fans to hold themselves in a way that respects the rules of the game.