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Allen Bhasvi denied Bosso a clear penalty

by Staff reporter
11 Sep 2023 at 01:35hrs | Views
Dynamos FC 2-0 Highlanders FC
(Match abandoned)

AGAIN, violence reared its ugly head in local football yesterday.

So ugly were the scenes that showed up at the Castle Lager Premiership match that pitted Dynamos and Highlanders, the country's most followed teams, that the referee of the day, Allen Bhasvi, was forced to abandon the game.

This was after concurring with match commissioner Nelson Kusosa.

This was the biggest game in the land and the crowd bore witness to that fact.

Sadly, it portrayed a bad image of the soccer in the country.

It was cut to be "The Game" but it turned out to be a disaster whose negative impact will have far reaching consequences on Highlanders FC's title bid while Dynamos' was enhanced.

A very good crowd for a match whose cheapest ticket was US$5 found its way in and many will admit the match was as exciting as it lasted with Dynamos having a sure stronger hand in the proceedings.

Over 10 000 fans found their way to what was supposed to be a football fiesta.

Highlanders fans seemingly incensed by a number of what they felt were harsh calls against their team as a number of their players continued to be felled to the ground, invaded the pitch in the 38th minute, after a five-minute spell in which missiles rained onto the pitch from the Soweto stand.

With police moving in to quell the trouble, a sea of fans descended on the pitch marching towards the cops menacingly.

Seemingly sensing danger the law enforcement agents retreated, a move that gave the hooligans an advantage to pour in numbers rendering marshals useless in the process. As time wore on Dynamos fans too invaded the pitch baying for the aggressors and there were running battles in the stadium.

The war appeared beyond the game as Highlanders were overrun in the minutes that the game lasted though they had a number of good scoring opportunities in a pulsating first-half in which Dynamos showed under Genesis Mangombe they mean business.

Fans on the Soweto End showed no regard for Fair Play and the upholding of values for human life as they turned the pitch into a typical war zone fighting police and Dynamos fans and at some stage literally chased the DeMbare supporters from their traditional stand.

Many heeded the clear signs for violence and started trickling out of the stadium and a few stayed to engage in missile throwing and violent conduct.

It was as if Bosso fans had resigned themselves to that the 2-0 deficit within 35 minutes could not be overturned.

Temperatures were high within the Bosso camp with two consecutive 2-0 losses to FC Platinum and Chicken Inn. The downward spiral was all clear yesterday and the performance told of a lucky team that had for 19 matches rode on lady luck, not talent and the ingenuity of coach Baltemar Brito and his assistants Joel Luphahla and Daniel Khumalo.

With the match just four minutes old, Keith Madera put DeMbare into the lead and with Bulawayo football giants still asking what had happened to them with the help of their vociferous fans, it all crumbled after Frank Makarati headed in a beauty to condemn Bosso to what appeared a looming massacre with the mediocrity of the playing staff at Highlanders clearly exposed.

Bhasvi put the lives of fans and people of neighbouring Barbourfields and Mzilikazi at risk when he denied Bosso what appeared a genuine penalty call and another free-kick after a number of decisions had appeared to go Dynamos' way.

Makarati had appeared to have brought down Mckinnon Mushore in the box in a challenge that the small striker came out second best.

So it was for the umpteenth time that another Dynamos-Highlanders match was abandoned due to crowd trouble.

The match commissioner, had no choice but to call off the match.

"After assessing the situation it's unsafe to continue with the game. Match officially called off," said Kusosa after more than 30 minutes of running battles between the cops and rowdy fans.

At the time of calling off the match Bosso had three shots on target compared to DeMbare's two which were both goals.

Bosso also managed to get the better of DeMbare as they had more corner kicks with three while their opponents had two but in open play Dynamos were by far the more dominant of the two teams with Highlanders having Archford Faira, Melikhaya Ncube, Andrew Mbeba and Brighton Manhire off duty.

The usually impotent strikeforce had had a number of positive and threatening forays into the enemy territory.

After DeMbare had scored, action swung the other side with Bosso in search of an equaliser which never came.

Bosso's first real chance came from striker Lynoth Chikuhwa who missed a glorious chance in the box unmarked, skying his effort over the bar.

Issa Sadiki caused all sorts of problems on the right wing with his skill and pace against an out-of-form Faira.

With 20 minutes played, Ray Lunga took a volley outside the box but Tymon Mvula, in goal for DeMbare, calmly collected.

Just before Makarati doubled DeMbare's lead, there was end-to-end action with Mushore taking a shot outside the box which resulted in a corner. They failed to capitalise and DeMbare broke on a counter but Donald Mudadi was stopped by Highlanders captain Ariel Sibanda.

The action revived the fans' energy as they all stood up in song and dance.

It was in the 33rd minute that Makarati doubled Dynamos' lead and all hell broke loose a couple of minutes later prompting the abandonment of the match.

Teams:

Highlanders: A Sibanda, L Chikuhwa, R Lunga, M Mushore, B Manhire, A Mbeba, E Farasi, P Muduhwa, M Ndlovu, A Faira, M Ncube

Dynamos: T Mvula (gk), D Mudadi, K Moyo, E Moyo, F Makarati, J Makunike, E Jalai, E ILunga, I Sadiki, K Madera, T Shandirwa

Source - The Chronicle
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