Dynamos Players Blamed For Barbourfields Stadium Violence
Dynamos players have been blamed for inciting the violence that forced their Premier Soccer League match against Highlanders at Barbourfields Stadium to be abandoned before the fulltime on Sunday.
The high stakes match was disrupted by crowd trouble on two separate occasions in the second half.
The first lengthy stoppage, which lasted for 15 minutes, occurred in the 60th minute when Dynamos striker Bill Antonio’s challenge left Andrew Tandi with a broken leg.
Despite Antonio being shown a straight red card, players and officials from both sides clashed following the tackle.
The second stoppage occurred when Highlanders took the lead in the 93rd minute through Washington Navaya’s header.
Bosso fans stormed the pitch to celebrate the goal while Dynamos players surrounded the referee, protesting his decision to allow the goal.
Dynamos players were arguing that Shadreck Nyahwa and goalkeeper Timon Mvula were fouled during the build-up to the goal.
As the melee unfolded on the pitch, DeMbare fans invaded the pitch, uprooting the goalposts and tearing the nets.
Speaking during ZTN’s coverage of the game, former CAPS United captain David Sengu blamed Dynamos players for causing the chaos. Said Sengu:
Do we need to be known because of violence whenever these two sides meet?
They were playing entertaining football, but the fans will make the headlines more than the players on the pitch at the end of the day.
The players are to blame for these incidents because they are the ones who are causing the chaos.
The moment you start confronting the referee, the fans get agitated. If it’s not a foul, you should admit it.
If there is no whistle blown, continue to play football.
Sengu added that both Nyahwa and Dynamos goalkeeper Taimon Mvula were wrong to claim they were injured in the build-up to the Highlanders goal. He said:
The goalkeeper has the advantage of using his hands. Mvula never tried to catch the ball because he wanted a foul.
Why did Nyahwa remain on the floor (after losing the ball) when the referee didn’t blow his whistle?
When Highlanders scored their goal, he quickly rose and protested to the referee.
I thought he should have stood up, continued playing, and do the confrontation later.
Captain Jaure is the one who should talk to the referee, not any other players, but you can’t complain about every decision made.
