admin(Match abandoned in the 81st minute).
IT was another sad day for Castle Lager Premiership football when violence erupted at Maglas once again, this time forcing a premature end to the clash between Shabanie Mine and Harare City.
Barely a month after the hooligan act at Maglas marred the clash between Highlanders and Shabanie and resulted in Bosso being fined US$8000 for the trouble, the asbestos miners fans, incensed by a poor show by the match officials, rained missiles onto the pitch.
Shabanie had two goals disallowed and that seemed to infuriate their fans into taking matters into their own hands.
The hosts thought they had found the target in the14th minute when defender Crispen Dickson beat his own goalkeeper Maxwell Nyamupangedengu under pressure from Caleb Masocha but the first assistant referee Lloyd Mapanje had his flag up for offside.
Shabanie felt hard done again when their second goal was also ruled out for offside.
Pervington Zimunya curled in a beauty that Farai Mususunye drilled home and it deflected off Zibusiso Sibanda beating his goalkeeper but just like in the first instance second assistant referee Ephias Mukombe had his flag up for offside.
The hosts fans then reacted by throwing missiles and not even the intervention of coach Luke Masomere, Mike Acropol the supporters chairman and the Shabanie Mine players could not calm them down.
Police had to use teargas to disperse a section of the crowd that was baying for the match official heads and the match officials had to be smuggled out of the stadium in an ambulance after they were forced to abandon their official car.
Before the skirmishes forced the abandonment of the game, the visitors had gone into the lead in 28th minute through Osborne Mukuradare who had been set up by Martin Vengesayi from the right.
Pervington Zimunya then equalised a minute after the breather when his header from a Sithole’s cross beat Nyamupangedengu.
A minute later the visitors increased their tally when Nathan Ziwini got the better of the miners’ defenders and sent a pass to Trymore Nyamadzawo who reacted with a rising shot that shook the roof of the nets.
Former Dynamos player Vengesayi who troubled Sithole all afternoon sealed the score line in the 59th minute.
Vengesay received a thrown in from Ziweni and raced towards goal before releasing a screamer that Victor Twaliki never saw.
Masomere, however, took a swipe at the match officials.
“The game was not properly handled and I do not know whether to call it match fixing or biased officiating. I condemn violence from the fans but what do you call it when a Harare City defender beats his own goalkeeper with a classic shot to the far post?
“I wonder if they were genuine referees or they were promoted recently. It was daylight robbery to my team. I am not afraid to lose at home because I also won away against CAPS but the referees have to be neutral.
“It seems the rich are buying success what about us the poor teams like Shabanie”, Masomere said.
His Harare City counterpart Bigboy Mawiwi didn’t share the same sentiments despite also feeling hard done by when they too had a disallowed goal.
“It was not an offside and I will not say much about them except that they did well. It was an explosive match and Shabanie are playing very well but we came here with confidence.
“ I told my players to remain focused and people should learn to appreciate the officiating” said
Mawiwi.
The match will now await judgment from the PSL disciplinary committee.
TEAMS:
Shabanie Mine: V Twaliki, P Sithole (P Muzondo 79th minute ),M Kunyarimwe, B
Mbavarira, P Marima, T Mombeshora, F Chirinda (T Rukanda 62nd minute),V Ndaba, P
Zimunya, C Masocha, F Mususunye
Harare City: M Nyamupangedengu, M Nyenye, R Maketo, C Dickson Sibanda, J
Jam, S Songani (C Muvuti 69thminute ),T Nyamadzawo,M Vengesayi, O Mukuradare (R
Uchena 78th minute ),N Ziwini,
leeroy
Online Reporter