Former CAPS United captain David Sengu has blamed Dynamos players for inciting the violence that forced their game against Highlanders to be abandoned before the fulltime.
The Sunday encounter at Barbourfields Stadium was marred by crowd trouble on seperate occasions in the second half. The first interruption happened at the hour mark and lasted for fifteen minutes after the home team threatened to invade the pitch after Bill Antonio’s challenge left Andrew Tandi with a broken leg.
The incident also saw players and officials from both sides clashing, and Antonio received a straight red card.
Another lengthy stoppage followed when Highlanders took the lead in the 93rd minute through Washington Navaya’s header.
The home team’s fans then invaded the pitch to celebrate while Dynamos players surrounded the referee, protesting his decision to allow the goal.
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| Dynamos Players To Blame For Causing Mayhem At Barbourfields Stadium says David Sengu |
As the Dembare players confronted the referee, their supporters on the Mpilo End joined in and invaded the pitch, uprooting the goalposts and tearing the nets.
Sengu, who spoke during ZTN’s coverage of the game, believes Dynamos players’ confrontation with the referee incited their players to join in and invade the pitch.
“Do we need to be known because of violence whenever these two sides meet?
“They will be playing entertaining football, but the fans will make the headlines more than the players on the pitch at the end of the day.”
The visibly-angry former midfielder added: “The players are to blame for these incidents because they are the ones who are causing the chaos.
“The moment you start confronting the referee, the fans get agitated. If it’s not a foul, you should admit it. If there is no whistle blown, continue to play football.”
On the goal that sparked the second pitch invasion, Sengu said: “The goalkeeper has an advantage of using his hands. Mvula never tried to catch the ball because he wanted a foul.
“Why did Nyahwa remain on the floor (after losing the ball) when the referee didn’t blow his whistle?
“When Highlanders scored their goal, he quickly rose and protested to the referee. I thought he should have stood up, continued playing, and do the confrontation later.
“Captain Jaure is the one who should talk to the referee, not any other players, but you can’t complain about every decision made.”
