Kaizer Chiefs pleaded guilty to fan misbehaviour – they’ve been dealt a R150,000 fine.
Once the final whistle blew at the Amakhosi Stadium on September 28, home fans began hurling objects at officials and players following a controversial 2-1 loss.
What caused the anger?
There were two match-defining moments that angered the crowd.
The first instant occurred during the build-up play to Iqraam Rayner’s goal – Mamelodi’s second.
Lucas Ribeiro Costa assisted the scorer but was offside when he received the ball before passing it into the box; however, the officials allowed play to go on.
In a post-match interview, Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi told SNL24, “We spoke with the referee; it’s two metres offside.”
The other spark that fuelled the rage happened in the game’s dying minutes when Edson Castillo scored an equaliser but was later disallowed due to an earlier foul.
In hindsight, it seemed a soft foul to overrule a goal of that magnitude.
Kaizer Chiefs face a sizeable fine
Fans were seen throwing missile-like objects at officials and Sundowns players, prompting the PSL to investigate the matter.
It isn’t the first time Kaizer Chiefs have been in the spotlight for fan misbehaviour, which has historically resulted in a stadium ban – but, not this time.
PSL prosecutor Zola Majavu outlined the punishment, saying, “I hereby confirm that earlier this morning, Chiefs appeared before the PSL DC to answer to charges of spectator misbehaviour as a result of a missile-throwing incident on September 28 when they were fixtured against Sundowns
“They pleaded guilty as charged and they were given a monetary fine of R100,000 of which R50,000 is suspended on condition that during the period of suspension, which is up to the end of the season, they are not found guilty of a similar offence.
“Last season, they still had an outstanding and suspended fine of R100,000 from a similar incident. Effectively, this means now that they were convicted for this new offence, they will now pay an additional R100,000, which was previously suspended. In total, Chiefs will pay R150,000 plus the costs of the sitting of today, which are usually administratively computed by the league and added to the R150,000.”
Do you think the fine is fair?
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