By Chris Totobela
Dramatic scenes unfolded just before the start of a Hollywood Bets Regional League fixture at Rhodes’ Kings Field on Saturday, leaving football fans in shock. The incident occurred just as Jacaranda Aces, affectionately known as Abachathazi, were preparing to clash against Bathurst-based United Eleven in the second game of a league doubleheader.
Ready to get going with the game, the referee in charge blew the whistle, alerting both sets of players, who were still conducting warm-up drills on the pitch, that the game was about to start. The players were then seen heading for the changing rooms. At this point, the match officials also started leaving the field. At first, it looked like the officials were leaving to change shirts or attend to other business related to the match. However, to everyone’s surprise, they did not return. Dumbfounded, both teams had to wait on the touchline for about 30 minutes while their managers ran around trying to locate the referee and his assistants. It was later discovered that they had left the field without notifying anyone. The home team was left with no choice but to improvise, and they quickly solicited the assistance of three of the spectators to officiate the game, to which the visiting team agreed. That meant the match was able to finally kick-off.
Speaking to GM later in the day, one of the match officials, Akhona Heshu, who is the secretary and head of competitions of Makana LFA, gave his side of the story. “We felt disrespected by both teams as we stood there blowing the whistle while both teams carried on with their warm-up. We wanted to show them that we are not going to tolerate that kind of disrespect, and we do this because of our passion for the game, not for the love of money as people always assume,” said Heshu.
However, Eleven United’s manager, Andile Marhasi, disputed Heshu’s claims.
Said Marhasi: “As soon as we heard the whistle and saw the match officials, we stopped our warm-up and paid attention. When we looked again, there was no sign of the match officials. This is very unprofessional, and they could have handled this matter differently.”
Jacaranda Aces’ Asanda Koliti shared similar sentiments. He felt the officials’ actions were disappointing, not just for the teams but for all those who were there to watch the game. Ultimately, the home side lost the match by five goals to two.
Meanwhile, football lovers in Makhanda hoped there would never be a similar incident in local football circles again as it was an embarrassment, especially in the presence of the visiting team.
