Speaking exclusively to the Siya crew, a Kaizer Chiefs pitch invader has detailed what led to his actions, which has since got him in trouble.
On Saturday, as Chiefs played against Mamelodi Sundowns at FNB Stadium in the Carling Knockout, and some fans invaded the pitch, while others threw objects onto the field, spoiling what was an entertaining game of football.
Read: Chiefs Apologise For Spectator Misconduct
Yesterday Chiefs issued a statement apologising for the disappointing incident.
Coming out of Booysens Police Station in Johannesburg where he has been held since Saturday and following a court appearance, the 42-year-old man from Ogies in Mpumalanga who is known as Mashonisa and had been seen charging towards referee Luxolo Badi, has spoken about the incident.
The father of six, who works in a mine in Mpumalanga, says he has been a Chiefs supporter since he was seven, and he admits to having erred and is asking for forgiveness.
"I would like to apologise to everyone in football for my actions, and I fully regret what I did. Yes, Kaizer Chiefs can sometimes disappoint us as fans, but the fact of the matter is that I am not the only one who was disappointed by the team, but almost half of the country gets disappointed when the team is not doing well on the field. As hurt as I was at that moment, I should have controlled my emotions and remembered that I wasn't the only one who was affected by what was happening on the field. I am really sorry for my actions as what happened has also jeopardised i span sam (my employment). I have also cost my family big time with what I have done. Having said that, I feel that I should have been able to control myself in the same way I did during the league match against Sundowns where we lost 2-1, because even that day I felt like we were robbed," said Mashonisa, who says he has been advised by his legal team not to give out his real name.
"The thing is, when you are at the stadium you don't follow action in the same way as someone who is sitting at home and watching on TV. You see an incident once and never again while at the stadium. For that penalty incident which resulted in the first goal, the way I saw it (Njabulo) Blom first touched the ball before he caught the opponent, and that for me should not have been a penalty. That's when my frustration started. For the second goal, I saw an offside there. The player who scored the goal looked to be in front of everyone but when I later saw it, I could see that it was actually not an offside," he added.
"Anyway, I can say whatever now and it won't change anything, and that's why I feel the need to say I am sorry because I wasn't the only one on the losing side that day and got humiliated in the manner we did, but more than half of the stadium and half of the country felt the same way. As fans, we are not supposed to throw things onto the field and we are not supposed to invade the pitch. We aren't supposed to attack referees or anyone for that matter, and anyone who is inside the stadium should feel safe when watching football," said the Amakhosi die hard.
Read: Sales Tipped To Prove Critics Wrong At Sundowns
Mashonisa says it was the second time he tried to get inside the pitch on the evening.
"It wasn't the first time, and in my initial attempt, fellow supporters were quick to catch me as I was jumping onto the pitch, and they stopped me from my actions. In that moment, the referee was close, and I would have grabbed him. It was after Sundowns scored. In the second attempt, I succeeded and entered the pitch, but as I was getting closer to where the referee was, (Bruce) Bvuma distracted me and said in isiZulu, "Mashonisa, myekele (leave him alone).
"As I was listening to Bvuma, he (the referee) managed to get behind Chiefs' players and I lost sight of him. The security personnel came and grabbed me and I told them that I wasn't there to fight or anything but to ask the referee why he was so hard towards Chiefs as what he was doing was affecting us as the supporters on the stands. The guy (Badi) reminds me of Daniel Bennett, because with that one too I knew that every time he was in charge of a Chiefs game, we would lose. But like I say, I am sorry for everything, as that is the most important thing for me to say now irrespective of whatever happened. My sincere apologies to everyone affected by what I did, including my family. I only realised that I messed up when I found myself sitting in police holding cells. My kids were expecting me to come back home on Saturday evening but that didn't happen because of what I did which I shouldn't have done. I am sorry to the country," concluded Mashonisa.
The fan says he is in the process of enrolling for an anger management course as part of his plan to rehabilitate, while waiting on the outcome of his court matter and the way forward.
For all you exclusive football content and breaking news, join our WhatsApp Channel here.
By Masebe Qina
Follow him here on Facebook here on X
