Premier Soccer League (PSL) CEO Trevor Phillips on Monday promised ”quick justice” after Kaizer Chiefs supporters ran amok following Amakhosi’s 2-1 SAA Supa8 defeat against Bloemfontein Celtic at the FNB Stadium on Saturday night.
Quick it may or may not be, but the process that starts before the PSL’s disciplinary committee on Wednesday is not likely to be painless — considering the ugly nature of the bottle-throwing, destruction of seating and widespread vandalism.
Also, with the 2010 World Cup increasingly closer on the horizon, any further outbreak of such reckless, ruthless and irrational behaviour — and the reluctance of soccer officials to take appropriate action to curb it — could have calamitous consequences.
PSL champions Chiefs, in addition, already have a R50 000 suspended sentence hanging over their heads relating to a previous outbreak of unsavoury behaviour among their fans, which incurred a R100 000 overall fine.
FNB Stadium general manager Dennis Mumble has initially estimated damage to the seating, many of which ended up on the pitch, being close to R100 000 — and this could effectively only be the tip to a sizeable iceberg.
Chiefs’ recent run of poor results, culminating in a second defeat within three weeks against Celtic, appears to have precipitated the rumpus, with the rage directed mainly at new German coach Ernst Middendorp.
True to South African soccer tradition, the German coach is being given no time to prove his mettle by zealous hotheads who know little, or nothing, about the intricacies of the game.
Phillips said Celtic are also to be charged for misbehaviour among their small segment of supporters at the FNB Stadium, and for team coach Paul Dolezar, who is under suspension but apparently appeared on the pitch before and after the game.
These would seem no more than red herrings and are unlikely to conceal the main damage of the FNB Stadium flare-up. — Sapa