Violence rears ugly head in Chimanimani Social League

The match was forced to an abrupt end following the skirmishes

Ray Bande
Senior Reporter

A CHIMANIMANI Social League match between Jangolah and Kusarakwanzi played on Sunday at Varumwa Varumwa Ground descended into chaos and violence after home fans stormed the pitch before assaulting the referee, opponent players and officials.

Trouble started in the 65th minute when a Jangolah player was issued a yellow card for a reckless foul, and reacted angrily by directing a torrent of abuse at match official Caleb Gwinji.

This sparked a violent response from the home team’s supporters, who invaded the pitch and attacked the referee, visiting players, and officials.

The situation escalated when Gwinji issued a second yellow card, resulting in the player’s ejection from the game, triggering a violent outburst.

A formal complaint lodged by Kusarakwanzi FC says Jangolah supporters invaded the pitch, breaching Rule 9 of the Chimanimani Football Association Constitution, which holds the home team responsible for crowd control.

The complaint states that Jangolah FC failed to maintain order, leading to the assault of the Kusarakwanzi coach and physical attacks on Gwinji, officials, and players, who were subjected to verbal abuse and threats.

“Jangolah FC failed to uphold their duty to maintain order. As a result, our coach was assaulted, and the referee Caleb Gwinji was physically attacked. Our officials and players were subjected to both verbal abuse and physical threats,” reads part of the report.

The report further alleges that Jangolah supporters tried to destroy video evidence of the incident and physically assaulted the Kusarakwanzi coach, damaging his property in the process.

“Tragically, no attempts were made by Jangolah FC to control the crowd or condemn the violence. In fact, some players and officials pressured the referee to overturn his decision, while others seemed to fuel the chaos,” added the report.

As the dust settled, Kusarakwanzi FC filed a police report at Chimanimani Police Station, and are now calling on league to take swift disciplinary action against Jangolah FC.