Former Orlando Pirates striker James Mothibi has opened a case with the police after witnessing match officials being assaulted during a football match at a South African stadium.
At the time of the incident, Mothibi had been in charge in his role as the coach of Jacksa Spears during a Northern Cape ABC Motsepe League match against Postmasburg FC on Saturday.
In video clips that have been doing the rounds on social media, a referee and one of his assistants could be seen being chased and kicked by some of the Postmasburg players and fans at the Postmasburg Sports Grounds.
Postmasburg players and fans were not happy with the match officials' decision after awarding a penalty to Spears who are at the top of the log.
The match appeared to be heading for a 0-0 draw with five minutes remaining when the penalty was awarded, and drama broke loose.
The Good
"It was an ABC Motsepe League game between Postmasburg FC and Jacksa Spears. Jacksa Spears is the team that I am coaching in Jan Kempdorp in the Northern Cape. We went to the match as the team in position one on the log and everything looked good," said Mothibi, speaking to the Siya crew.
The Bad
"I really don't know why our opponents decided to act in such a disrespectful manner during the match and caused such a scene. We were subjected to such terrible treatment which up to now we didn't understand. The game went well in the first 45 minutes and it was in the second half that the problems started. We frustrated them in the first half and we were still frustrating them in the 40 minutes that we played in the second half. We caught them on the break with attacks and our striker was fouled inside the box and the referee awarded a penalty," he said.
The Ugly
"From there, I saw the supporters of our opponents and the management were inside the field and before we knew it, they were beating the referee and one of his two assistants. One assistant referee who wasn't beaten is from Postmasburg and that's why he wasn't affected in what was going on," added Mothibi.
"What happened there was very disgraceful"
"We don't condone what happened and it is a disgrace for football. After beating the match officials, those people from Postmasburg came for my players and myself. We were left with no choice but to defend ourselves. When I eventually managed to escape, I went to Tebogo Mothobi's car and we drove to the police station together to open the case about what happened. The police took their time but eventually they did go to the field where the match took place to assist whoever needed assistance at that point. We have opened a case of assault with the police. What happened there was very disgraceful. Whether the results are not going your way, you don't have any right to assault another human being like that. Maybe it's because of the power of the money they have, or the power of disrespect they have. I don't want to associate myself with gangster mentality. Things in this league will get out of hand if SAFA is not acting," concluded Mothibi.
What would an appropriate punishment be for violent conduct in football matches?
